About 4,000 people, including many members and friends of the OSA family, prayed with the Lord and with each other during the Solemnity of Corpus Christi
For one Augustinian religious the experience of connecting the Order in the presence of the Lord for a whole day from so many different sites brought profound joy: "The adoration of the divine Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist brought us together in a moment of authentic communion as children of St. Augustine." And for Fr Javier Pérez Barba, Assistant General for Southern Europe and coordinator of the Commission for Apostolate and Evangelization, "That the Order remained in continuous adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for 24 hours shows that God is our priority, that we receive from Him all that we can offer to the world, and that our fraternal communion is only true if it is communion in the Lord." Commenting on the effort needed to bring this idea to life, Fr Javier pointed out that "it has been above all a work of Order, of unity, in which both brothers and sisters of contemplative life and lay people from very different parts of the world have participated. I thank everyone for their involvement."
"It has not been easy to synchronise in a single broadcast format, different sites across different time zones and with varying technical facilities," said Ricardo Morales, in charge of communications at the General Curia. Communities in Mexico, Panama, California, Kerala (India), Japan, Belgium, Cebu (Philippines), Spain, Rome, Tanzania, Chile and the UK took part in this Eucharistic project, making their churches, chapels and oratories, and their technical resources available to the faithful to adore Him.
The statistical data provided by YouTube, Facebook and Twitter shows that about four thousand people connected during the different periods of Adoration, leaving hundreds of comments about Corpus Christi and asking for prayers for themselves and others from the rest of the praying community. Alejandra Vaca, a parishioner from Jaral del Progreso, Mexico, said: "Blessed and praised be Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament." From the parish of Monserrate in Puerto Rico, they gave "thanks for this precious Eucharistic Adoration." Other messages of prayer and praise came in from such diverse regions as Vietnam, Venezuela, Ireland and Nigeria, with local friars and sisters actively encouraging participation also through their own social networks and within their local parishes.
The project’s success relied on the participation of the communication office of the General Curia and the general councillors, provincials, friars, sisters, lay people and others, who served as a bridge to connect the Order for the first time in this type of initiative.
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