The prior general of the Augustinian Recollects, Miguel Ángel Hernández, has concluded his official visit to the communities of the Order in Mexico, to the members of the Augustinian Recollect Family and to the collaborators and pastoral agents. He left a message of encouragement and hope for all.
On the morning of September 15, in the midst of the Mexican independence celebrations, the prior general of the Augustinian Recollects, Miguel Ángel Hernández, arrived in Mexico, accompanied by the secretary, Luciano Audisio. They had a busy schedule ahead of them for the next four weeks.
The objective was to make an official visit to the Recollect communities and also to meet and interact with members of the Augustinian Recollect Family (contemplative nuns, female religious of active life, members of the Secular Fraternity and the Augustinian Recollect Youth) and with lay agents of evangelization, members of the management and executive teams, collaborators and workers of the ministries.
The visit lasted about a month, with a presence in the 13 Recollect communities and community and personal meetings with the 60 religious present in them, as well as with the aspirants and postulants of the formation houses and with the management teams of the ministries (parish councils, management of the Fray Luis de León School and of CARDI).
The prior general also made a courtesy visit to 11 of the 15 contemplative monasteries of the Augustinian Recollect Nuns in the country and to the two communities of Augustinian Recollect Missionaries, located in Mexico City and Querétaro.
The visit began in the community of Tecamachalco, seat of the Vicariate of Mexico and Costa Rica, located in Naucalpan (State of Mexico), which serves the parishes of Mother of God of Czestochowa, Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Michael the Archangel. The prior general and the secretary shared mass and table with the contemplative community of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, located just a kilometer and a half from the male community.
On Wednesday 18, after visiting the monasteries of Tlaxcala and Cuautinchán (Puebla), the prior general was present at the Assembly of the Federation of Augustinian Recollects Nuns of Mexico in Puebla. He listened to the concerns of the nuns, entrusted the Order to his prayers, thanked the Augustinian Recollect Gerardo Ruiz for his work as spiritual assistant of the Federation and met Olivia García, the new federal president of this Assembly.
The prior general then visited the Saint Augustine Postulancy in Mexico City, where he met with the formation team, the postulants and the Secular Fraternity. The feast of St. Alonso de Orozco gave him the opportunity to reflect on how community life is a fundamental pillar of Augustinian spirituality. He also visited the contemplative monastery of Our Lady of Consolation in Mimosas, Mexico City.
From September 22 to 27, the visitors traveled to the State of Chihuahua to officially visit the communities of La Junta, Cuauhtémoc, Delicias and Chihuahua. The prior general recognized and expressed gratitude for the evangelizing work of the Augustinian Recollects in this northern area of Mexico for almost 60 years.
On Monday, in La Junta, he learned about the work in the Sierra Tarahumara, with testimonies that inspired in him a deep appreciation of the work with the most vulnerable. In the capital of Chihuahua, however, he had access to the pastoral work of a fully urban environment with its own challenges, including migration.
In the last days of September he visited the parishes of Churubusco and Hospitales. During this new stay in Mexico City he visited the CARDI socio-health project and the MAR community, including his social work in the informal settlement of Las Vías.
The first week of October the prior general was in Querétaro. At the Saint Pius X House he made a special effort to share time and dialogue with the older religious and presided over the solemn profession of the Augustinian Recollect José Antonio Hernández. He met with the management teams, teachers and students of the Fray Luis de León High School. And he was able to celebrate its 15 years of existence with the Secular Fraternity of Saint Magdalene of Nagasaki.
In the community of Lomas de Casa Blanca, in addition to visiting the religious Recollect, he met with the parish management team and visited the community of the Augustinian Recollect Missionaries. From Querétaro he was able to visit three more contemplative monasteries: Tula, Jalpan and Ahuacatlán.
The following week he returned to Mexico City for the third time, where he still had two Recollect communities to visit: Avante and Saint Monica, where he celebrated the feast of Saint Thomas of Vilanova.
He also visited the nearby community of Cuernavaca (Morelos), where in addition to the parish he visited the facilities of the Finca Centenario and the Finca Recolección (where many tasks of the Augustinian Recollect Spirituality Center are carried out), and another monastery of contemplatives. On Wednesday he had the opportunity to participate in the usual fraternal meeting of the religious of central Mexico with sports, rest and community food to celebrate several birthdays.
During the last days of their stay in Mexico, Miguel Ángel and Luciano visited the contemplatives of Texcoco and Tepeyahualco and enjoyed Mexican culture at the archaeological center of Teotihuacán and the former Augustinian convent of Acolman.
“I want to hear firsthand the history of the different places where we are, the work we carry out, the challenges we face and, of course, the dreams and projects we have,” said the prior general before arriving in Mexico. This wish was more than fulfilled.
“Each community I have visited reflects the richness of the Augustinian Recollect charism. From pastoral service in hospitals to the formation of young people in our schools, I see how the love of God is manifested in concrete works.
I am deeply grateful for the dedication of each brother who, with his life, testifies that the Gospel continues to transform hearts and realities. I encourage you to continue to be a light of hope for all those who need us.”
After several weeks in Mexico, the official visit of the Prior General now continues through the Recollect communities in the United States.
