Chronicle: 12 September 2025

Ordinary General Chapter
Chronicle 12th of September, 2025 (Friday)

The day began with Mass, presided over by Fr Marcel Holzheimer OSA, representing the Prior Provicial of the Province of Germany. As well as the intentions of the Chapter, the Mass was offered for the eternal rest of Fr Szymon Jankowski OSA (Province of Poland), who died this morning. In his homily Fr Marcel began with the question of Jesus: “Can a blind man lead another blind man?” (lk 6, 39), relating to the reality in which we live, in which, often, we can be guided as if we were blind (false news, prejudices, simplistic slogans). Jesus calls us to discern who we are allowing to guide us. Leadership requires guidance, clarity, and a sense of reality. In is in Him where we can find this guide. The Kingdom of God announced by Jesus gives us a new vision. Those who live on the horizon of the Kingdom see the world, the church, and the Order in a different way, according to the criteria of God: justice, mercy and faithfulness. St Augustine, confessing his weaknesses and fragilities enlightens us to look at ourselves from the perspective of the God of love who is the basis of everything that is good. We all need the healing gaze of love to see the challenging realities and the signs of the times. As companions on the journey, we can accompany ourselves mutually, not because we are perfect, but because we allow ourselves to be guided by the perspective of God, by his Kingdom, which has already begun among us.

The morning session, which began at 9.30, was moderated by Fr Anthnony Pizzo OSA. Following the prayer for the invocation of the Holy Spirit, we worked in linguistic groups, continuing the study of the Instrumentum Laboris, in the section that deals with Structures in the Order, and also the proposal relating to this theme, concretely, proposals 23-30. In order to follow the reflection on this theme more closely, the Prior General named a commission made up of the following brothers: Peter Jones, Leslie Gatt, Jose Ignacio Busta Ramirez, Anthony Pizzo and Olivier Gangola Bawa.

The conclusions drawn by the groups were shared in a plenary session. Regarding the revision of structures, it was emphasized that it was important that more awareness to belonging to the Order in its totality be stressed. This is something that should begin from initial formation. It is urgent to consider this theme, especially in the face of a future project for the Order. On the one hand there is an observable decrease in the number of friars in the older circumscriptions, who tend to have economic resources, and, on the other hand, there is an increase in the number of friars in newer circumscriptions, who don’t always have sufficient financial resources. Therefore, the question returns about a fair sharing of resources to address this reality. That requires a strategic action to organize our presence at local and international level. Among other points, a number of clarifications were made about the Houses and Circumscriptions that depend on the General Curia, and also on the Provinces of Suspended Regime.

Fr Carlos de la Cruz OSA, Regional Vicar of Panama, presented Proposal 23, which requests the cration of the Province of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Panama and Costa Rica. He justified the petition with a brief historical summary of the Augustinian presence in Panama and in Costa Rica, giving us information about the number of friars, the houses, the works, the finances, and the vocational possibilities. Fr Juan Ebert Seminario OSA, President of the Federation of Vicariates in Peru, also informed the Chapter about the situation in the Federation, expressing the desire for union and presenting the challenges for the achievement of this union. At the end of the morning the Prior General presented the names of the brothers proposed for Vicar General, Assistants General, Bursar General, Secretary General, and Procurator General, for the consideration of the assembly, before the voting which would take place in the afternoon.

The work of the morning concluded with the recitation of Mid-day Prayer in the Chapter Hall, followed by lunch. The afternoon session began, as usual at 4pm.

The first part of this session was dedicated to a meeting with the presidents of the federations of Augustinian Nuns, two from Spain, and one from Italy . Firstly, Fr Alejandro Moral OSA offered a general vision of the federations of Augustinian Nuns in the Order speaking about their importance and their meaning, since the nuns form an integral part of the Order: they accompany us by their prayers as wellas sharing our concerns. The sisters were then introduced: Mother Monica Gianfrancesco (Federation of the Nuns in Italy), Mother Laura Duan Dominguez (Spanish Federation of our Mother of Good Counsel and Saint Alonso de Orozco), and Mother Prado Gonzalez Heras (Federation of the Conversion of St Augustine). Each one shared the reality of each federation and also the others whose presidents were unable to be present.
Finally, each one expressed their expectations in relation to the friars of the Order of St Augustine. Among their expectations we can count: that we would cultivate and make known the charism of St Augustine and his apostolate; the cor unum et anima una in Deum is an aspect that should be a special care for all of us. We should also assist each other mutually with the friars being contemplative in the nuns and the nuns being active in the friars, uniting contemplation and action in one heart. There is a great challenge involved in or mutually knowing each other and understanding each other, since we do not know each other well. We have the challenge of growing together in spirituality, of caring for formation, of giving better and greater visibility to our charism, a spirituality that is lived as a path towards sanctity. May the friars be authentic spiritual fathers and accompany the daily life of the nuns. Finally, we thanked our sisters for their presence with a warm applause.

The afternoon session went on right up until the evening meal to facilitate the election of some of our brothers to the government of the Order. Fr Alexander Leoncio Lam Alania OSA (formerly Assistant General) was elected Vicar General. Then, Fr Kevin de Prinzio OSA of Villanova Province (North America), and Fr Martin Davakan formerly province of Belgium (Europe), were elected as Assistants General. The remaining offices will be elected in the next session.