On Thursday the Augustinian Family gathered at the San Agust\u00edn School of the Order of Saint Augustine to celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving for the first anniversary of Pope Leo XIV\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s first year at the head of the universal Church.<\/p>\n
During the homily, Fr. Tom\u00e1s Marcos, Provincial Vicar of the Province of Saint John of Sahag\u00fan of the Order of Saint Augustine, shared personal memories and reflections on Leo XIV, with whom he shared years of formation and community life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to begin by telling you a secret. The Pope was in my class. Or rather, I was in the Pope\u2019s class,\u201d he began with a smile, before highlighting the pontiff\u2019s humanity and approachability. He described him as \u201ca man of dialogue\u201d, able to listen and build bridges in times marked by polarization and confrontation.<\/p>\n
He particularly stressed the Pope\u2019s gift for reconciliation, his practical intelligence and his deep pastoral sense. \u201cHe is intelligent, but also shrewd; someone who knows how to understand situations and see what lies beneath things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Fr. Tom\u00e1s Marcos also recalled the years they shared in Trujillo, Peru, where Leo XIV carried out intense pastoral and formation work in a mission setting. \u201cHe did a great many things at once, and always calmly. He knew that in mission lands you had to do everything,\u201d he explained, highlighting his organizational skills and his dedication to the service of the Church.<\/p>\n
Later in the homily, he stressed that the election of Leo XIV responds to the needs of our time: \u201cHe is the right man at the right moment. We believe the Holy Spirit has chosen the person we need in these turbulent times.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Provincial Vicar also recalled a recent meeting with the Holy Father after his election. \u201cWhen we told him, moved, that we still couldn\u2019t believe he had been elected Pope, he replied: \u2018Neither can I.\u2019\u201d He stressed that Leo XIV continues to live his ministry with humility and a sense of humour.<\/p>\n
The celebration was also meant to be a trusting prayer for the Pope and for the responsibility he carries on his shoulders. \u201cWe 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,\u201d the preacher said.<\/p>\n
Fr. Tom\u00e1s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
More than 300 members of the Augustinian family took part in a Mass of thanksgiving for the first year of Pope Leo XIV\u2019s pontificate, held at San Agust\u00edn School.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":532,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acep_firma":"Editorial team","_acep_firma_detalle":"","_acep_en_noticia":"","_acep_fuentes":"","_acep_relacionadas":"","_acep_provisional":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"class_list":["post-531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gestures"],"yoast_head":"\n