The Advent retreat of the Secular Augustinian Recollect Fraternities of Mexico took place on November 30th at the Parish of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine (Churubusco) in Mexico City.
On November 30th, around 85 lay members of the Augustinian Recollect Secular Fraternity met in the Parish of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine in Mexico City accompanied by seven Recollect religious to celebrate the annual Advent retreat.
In addition to being a day of reflection and prayer in preparation for the Christmas feasts, the meeting was a happy occasion for thirteen people, who had completed their period of formation, to publicly make their baptismal promises, to show their desire to belong to the Augustinian Recollect Family and to be welcomed as new members of the Fraternities of Cuernavaca (Morelos), Avante and Churubusco (Mexico City).
The opening prayer had peace as its central theme and was led by the Fraternity of Tecamachalco, shortly before the president of the National Council of Fraternities in Mexico, Lourdes Laraque, and the president of the Fraternity of Churubusco, Guadalupe Ruiz, officially welcomed everyone and thanked them for their presence.
This was followed by a presentation of Pope Francis‘ new encyclical Dilexit Nos, by the religious assistant of the host Fraternity, the Augustinian Recollect Carlos López, and a dynamic of integration proposed by the Avante Fraternity.
Sergio Sánchez, Augustinian Recollect and president of the Secretariat of Spirituality of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine, in charge of caring for the Secular Fraternities, gave the formative theme of the day, entitled “Seeds of Hope”. He took into account both the particularities of the time of Advent and the programming of the Universal Church, about to begin the Jubilee 2025 “Pilgrims of Hope”.
The closing Eucharist was presided over by Martín Luengo, vicar for Mexico and Costa Rica of the Province of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine. During it he officially received and presented the insignia and the Rule of Life to the thirteen new members of the Secular Fraternity, who were dressed in white for the ceremony.