RFC welcomes participants of the 14th OAR Formands’ Encounter

MIRA-NILA Homes, QUEZON CITY —The sound of the bell rang and woke up the sleepy heads of the formands. This bell signifies the voice of the Lord, calling them to pray the Liturgy of the Hours at the Chapel of Recoletos Formation Center (RFC).

After the prayers, the formands moved to the Bulwagang Recoletos Atrium for breakfast. The hall was filled with laughter and good stories of the formands. After this, they proceeded to the Our Lady of Consolation Parish to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Rev. Fr. Ian Anthony Espartero, OAR, the Prior of the Recoletos Formation Center, who is also celebrating his birthday, presided over the Mass. In his homily, he highlighted two major points: one is on the theme of the formands encounter “Gratitude, Renewal, and Fraternity, Celebrating our Shared Communion, and the celebration of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

After a short break, the formands had their first conference with Rev Fr. Emilio “Fr. Emil” Quilatan, OAR. The talk centered on how the Province of St. Ezekiel Moreno came into existence. Fr. Emil presented significant events including the struggles of some Recollect Friars as well as their contributions to the Province. “During 1992, the idea of establishing a new province was just a mere dream, but years after, on November 28, 1998, the dream was realized,” he said.

During the afternoon session, the formands were divided into groups for group sharing or the “Convivencia.” Each member of every group shared thoughts as well as experiences in response to the given guided question based on the talk.

Then, the formands proceeded to their respective team for the “amazing race”. The whole grounds of RFC were filled with the noise of the formands as they competed with other teams, hoping that they would bag the title as the Champion for this year’s formands’ encounter.

During the evening session, the formands prayed the Coronilla and the Holy Hour for the Augustinian Recollect Vocation held at RFC chape,l presided by Rev. Fr. Kenneth Onda, OAR. Dinner followed and the celebration continued at the Friars’ Gazebo where the formands enjoyed each other’s company through games and stories.