After two weeks, and having covered more than 2,500 kilometres over rugged mountains and through dense jungle - but always with something beautiful to see - the Assistant General for South America, Fr Alexander Lam, tells us about his visit to the parishes, houses and communities of the Province of San Miguel in Ecuador.
"Despite age-related retirements and the departure of some brothers from the Order, other fresh young friars have entered, and we now have at least three religious in each of the seven communities."
Fr Lam called us from Quito airport to share some of his experiences of his most recent pastoral visit. It was, as always, an opportunity to show the engagement of Father General, his Council and the whole Order in the daily grind to move the mission forward.
"I have seen a great effort on the part of the friars to want to "feel with the Province", to want to collaborate, to look for ways to bring everyone closer and develop more fraternal and closer relationships".
A pocos meses de la celebración del próximo Capítulo Ordinario, el asistente general ha querido destacar las tareas acometidas y lo que está por venir.
A nivel educativo, el colegio de Guayaquil, “recién remozado”, está llevando a cabo una importante tarea. En la misma ciudad, los agustinos gestionan, coordinan y promocionan el voluntariado del Señor de la Buena Esperanza, una iniciativa que da diariamente alimentos a más de 800 personas en situaciones de extrema vulnerabilidad.
A few months before the occasion of the next Ordinary Chapter, the Assistant General wanted to highlight the tasks already undertaken, and share some of what is still to come.
In education, the “recently renovated” school at Guayaquil continues with its important work. In the same city, Augustinians manage, coordinate and promote the volunteer work of the Lord of Good Hope initiative, which provides food every day to over 800 people in extremely vulnerable situations.
Together with the educational, social and pastoral action there is "an intense and rich parochial activity" - each parish has its own style - and which allows one to say that the Province "is doing a good job." We are increasingly seeing improvements in the management of local budgets and the administration of provincial resources, and in this way they are better able to deal with the push of the government.
"The formation house still has a lot of room to take root and expand. We have to show our closeness and accompaniment and continue to encourage our brothers," Fr Lam points out, "This has truly been a very beautiful experience: fraternal, enriching, and full of hope."
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