Province of St. Nicholas of Tolentine: 400 years of Consecrated Life and Missionary History

The Province of St. Nicholas of Tolentine of the Order of Augustinian Recollects will be 400 years old in November 2021. The 4th Centennial celebration will take place from September 10, 2020 to December 5, 2021.

The Centennial Celebration Commission had its second meeting on the 25^th of June 2020. The 8 members are: Fray Rafael Mediavilla Becerril, President;  Fray Pablo Panedas Galindo, representative of the General Curia; Fray Leander Barrot, representative of the Province of St. Ezekiel Moreno; Fray Francisco Javier Acero Pérez, representative of Mexico; Msgr. Angel San Casimiro Fernández, representative of Costa Rica; Fray Fernando Martín Esteban, representative of Spain; Fray Rafael Castillo de Luna, representative of the United States; and Fray Santiago José Martínez Lázaro, representative of Brazil.

On December 12, 2019, the Prior Provincial, Fray Sergio Sánchez, made an official invitation to all the Provinces to prepare and join in this 4th Centennial celebration. In addition to appointing the commission, he set goals based on the words of Pope Francis to the consecrated life: “Look at the past with gratitude, live the present with passion and embrace the future with hope.”

The committee began to organize activities and create materials for the occassion. The slogan phrase is: “Siempre en misión” (Always in mission). From the beginning of the Province, the friars have sent to evangelize have given us this clear identity. The “Siempre en misión” celebration has a special logo that we hope will be visibly present in all our ministries during this year-long celebration. There are also a centennial prayer and hymn that will be officially presented before the inauguration of our celebration.

The committee also revised other suggestions made by friars and lay people. A questionnaire based on those suggestions is now being studied by each member of the committee to see what can or cannot be done in their region. 

The calendar of activities is being worked on by each country where the Province is present.

Note: This article was from the website of the Province of San Nicolas de Tolentino (agustinosrecoletos.org)