The Augustinian Family in Spain sets out with Leo XIV: “We are the Pope’s family, but above all we are Christians”

More than 2,000 members of the Augustinian Family took part in Madrid in the sending-forth Mass presided over by Bishop Dario Quintana, bishop of the Prelature of Cafayate and an Augustinian Recollect, before meeting Pope Leo XIV.

On Saturday Madrid lived a day of deep emotion and hope. More than 2,000 members of the Augustinian Family in Spain gathered in the sports hall of San Agustín School to celebrate the sending-forth Mass that marked the start of their participation in the events of Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to Spain.

The celebration was presided over by Bishop Dario Quintana, OAR, bishop of the Prelature of Cafayate (Argentina), who invited those present to prepare their hearts to meet the Successor of Peter, highlighting in particular the spiritual bond that unites the whole Augustinian family with the new Pontiff.

“It is with great joy that I am among you to celebrate this Eucharist as we prepare to meet Pope Leo,” the Augustinian Recollect bishop said at the start of his homily, thanking the Church of Madrid for its welcome and the priests, religious men and women, young people, families and members of the school communities for being there.

A Pope with an Augustinian heart

Bishop Quintana recalled the emotion felt by millions of Catholics when, after his election, the then Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost presented himself to the world saying: “I am a son of Saint Augustine, I am an Augustinian”.

“Did our hearts not thrill at such an image, confirmed by his words?” he asked, stressing that Leo XIV’s pontificate is a cause of special joy for the whole spiritual family of Saint Augustine.

However, the bishop recalled that belonging to this great ecclesial family also brings a responsibility.

“We can say that we are the Pope’s family, but above all we are Christians, committed to making the life of Christ visible in this world by following in the footsteps of Saint Augustine.”

A Church that lives communion and mission

Drawing on the first Christian community described in the Acts of the Apostles, a text especially dear to Saint Augustine, Bishop Quintana stressed that Augustinian identity is born of shared life, prayer and mission.

“The community that arises after Pentecost is forged for the whole world, and Augustine fell in love forever with this project of community life in prayer and mission,” he said.

The bishop invited the pilgrims to live these days as an opportunity to renew their evangelizing vocation and strengthen ecclesial communion around the Pope.

Lifting our eyes to the peripheries

Taking the motto of the apostolic visit, “Lift up your eyes”, as his reference, Bishop Quintana urged those present to turn their gaze away from selfishness and towards those who most need hope.

“This motto demands that we take our eyes off selfishness and turn them to the peripheries of our reality,” he said, recalling the synodal path the Church is living in these years.

He also recalled some of the great challenges Leo XIV has pointed to since the start of his pontificate: care for migrants, social justice and the defence of human dignity.

“The Pope reminds us that human dignity is not negotiable and knows no borders. He challenges us to build bridges of genuine hospitality and, at the same time, to defend the right of peoples to prosper in their own lands,” he said.

For the Recollect bishop, these words are a call to replace “the globalization of indifference with the revolution of charity and tenderness”.

Young people, the hope of the Church

One of the most significant moments of the homily was addressed to the many young people at the celebration.

“You are the Church’s today and the future of her journey. In you we see our hope,” said Bishop Quintana, inviting them to welcome the Holy Father’s message with enthusiasm.

The bishop said that Leo XIV comes to Spain as a “pilgrim of peace” to strengthen the faith of believers and encourage the new generations to embody the values of the Gospel in today’s society.

On the way with the Successor of Peter

The Mass ended in an atmosphere of deep communion and joy. As true pilgrims, the members of the Augustinian Family in Spain were sent forth to take part in the meetings with the Holy Father, aware that this event is a privileged opportunity to renew their faith and their commitment to evangelization.

“May this Eucharist be our immediate preparation to meet the Successor of Peter, the one who comes to confirm our faith,” Bishop Quintana concluded.

“As a pilgrim of peace, he invites us to walk with him and to sow God’s dream in today’s world.”