More than 300 members of the Augustinian family celebrate the first year of Leo XIV’s pontificate
More than 300 members of the Augustinian family took part in a Mass of thanksgiving for the first year of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate, held at San Agustín School.
On Thursday the Augustinian Family gathered at the San Agustín School of the Order of Saint Augustine to celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving for the first anniversary of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate. More than 300 people took part in this celebration marked by gratitude, prayer and shared joy for the Petrine ministry of a pontiff deeply linked to the charism of Saint Augustine.
A family Eucharist
The Mass brought together religious men and women, lay people and members of different branches of the Augustinian family in an atmosphere of communion and closeness. The celebration took place in a festive and prayerful climate that sought to highlight the ecclesial and spiritual meaning of the Pope’s first year at the head of the universal Church.
During the homily, Fr. Tomás Marcos, Provincial Vicar of the Province of Saint John of Sahagún of the Order of Saint Augustine, shared personal memories and reflections on Leo XIV, with whom he shared years of formation and community life.
“I want to begin by telling you a secret. The Pope was in my class. Or rather, I was in the Pope’s class,” he began with a smile, before highlighting the pontiff’s humanity and approachability. He described him as “a man of dialogue”, able to listen and build bridges in times marked by polarization and confrontation.
He particularly stressed the Pope’s gift for reconciliation, his practical intelligence and his deep pastoral sense. “He is intelligent, but also shrewd; someone who knows how to understand situations and see what lies beneath things,” he said.
Fr. Tomás Marcos also recalled the years they shared in Trujillo, Peru, where Leo XIV carried out intense pastoral and formation work in a mission setting. “He did a great many things at once, and always calmly. He knew that in mission lands you had to do everything,” he explained, highlighting his organizational skills and his dedication to the service of the Church.
An Augustinian Pope
Later in the homily, he stressed that the election of Leo XIV responds to the needs of our time: “He is the right man at the right moment. We believe the Holy Spirit has chosen the person we need in these turbulent times.”
The Provincial Vicar also recalled a recent meeting with the Holy Father after his election. “When we told him, moved, that we still couldn’t believe he had been elected Pope, he replied: ‘Neither can I.’” He stressed that Leo XIV continues to live his ministry with humility and a sense of humour.
The celebration was also meant to be a trusting prayer for the Pope and for the responsibility he carries on his shoulders. “We want to pray for him, that the Lord may bless and protect him, because the responsibility that has fallen on him is as heavy as we can imagine,” the preacher said.
Under the protection of Our Lady of Grace and the Martyrs of Algiers
Fr. Tomás Marcos concluded by recalling the feast of Our Lady of Grace, one of the oldest Marian titles in the Augustinian tradition, as well as the witness of the martyrs of Algeria, also linked to the spirituality of the Order.
The music for the liturgy was provided by the choir of the temporarily professed friars of the Province of Our Lady of Candelaria of the Order of Augustinian Recollects and by the Augustinian nuns of the Monastery of the Conversion, who accompanied the Eucharistic celebration with their singing.