The meeting between the two independent provincial councils of Mexico took place on 12th April. Friars from the Province of Michoacán and the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of Mexico met with the Prior General, Father Alejandro Moral, and his councillor for Latin America, Father Alexander Lam, at the provincial house of the Province of Mexico, in the country’s capital.
The purpose of the meeting, held a few short days before Father Lam's separate renewal visit to the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus in Mexico, was to make more concrete some of the outcomes of the last Intermediate General Chapter in San Diego that related to the provinces’ joint collaboration and strategy.
This is the second time that the two provincial councils have come together to discuss, as Father Alejandro pointed out during his meeting with the Mexican friars, such sensitive and important matters for the presence of the Order in the North American giant as initial formation, making, as Father General pointed out, "the best efforts to give the best formation for the Augustinian consecrated life."
The virtuous dynamics of love for the pastoral challenges
For almost a full month, Father Lam has been conducting the renewal visit to the province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus in Mexico. "It has been a pleasure to be with my confreres in more than 20 different houses, accompanying them in their many challenges, such as vocation promotion and initial formation, the generational challenge, and the importance of being united."
Faced with ageing communities and the need to initiate a process of renewal, Father Lam speaks hopefully of how little by little "young friars are coming to our communities", some of which have only two resident religious. "I believe that this experience will encourage you to live your Augustinian charism better and better, to attend to the many pastoral needs we confront, and to introduce ways to improve communication among the friars who, as I have clearly seen, want to show the love they have for the Order and for their country."
Breathing five centuries of history
It should not be forgotten that states in which we are still present such as Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Puebla, Coahuila or Mexico have some sites that resonate almost five centuries of history.
"We Augustinians arrived here in 1533. We have a very precious and rich heritage spread widely across both town and country, in priories where our friars, even today, still carry out a great deal of pastoral work. It is in these places where one can still experience the beginnings of the Augustinian presence in Latin America.”