Chronicle: 16 September 2025

2025 ORDINARY GENERAL CHAPTER
Chronicle: 16 September 2025 (Tuesday)

The day began as usual with a Eucharistic celebration at 7:30 in the second-floor chapel of the International College of St. Monica. Fr. Patrick O’Reilly, OSA, Prior Provincial of the Province of Ireland presided. Today, we celebrate the memorial of Saints Cornelius and Cyprian, who are for us courageous witnesses of faith in Jesus Christ. In his homily, Fr. Paddy invited us to reflect on the role of a good Christian leader, through the example of Jesus Christ himself and of the great ones of our faith, such as the martyrs we celebrate. We can ask ourselves if people see that leadership in us and if, fundamentally, we are men who help make God present in the lives of others. We do not have to be martyrs like Cornelius and Cyprian, but we can certainly strive to be prophetic witnesses of Jesus through our way of life.

The morning session began at 9:30 in the auditorium of the Augustinianum with the invocation of the Holy Spirit. Fr. Marco Antonio Luna Medrano, OSA moderated this session. After the arduous work of the listening sessions following the thematic sections of the Instrumentum Laboris, revised proposals were presented for consideration in a plenary session. This section looked at the areas related to vocations, formation and the Constitutions, and communion of material goods. The commissions suggested the elimination of some proposals, considering them too specific and whose content should be worked on in specific areas within circumscriptions or other commissions, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity. Other proposals coming from language group discussions or plenary sessions were added.

Special emphasis was placed on the importance of the Institute of Augustinian Spirituality, which should be strengthened and restructured to fulfill its mission of revitalization of the Order and integral formation. In this way, various proposals can be taken into account without necessarily being considered capitular. Another issue that deserved special consideration was the need to develop a Ratio Oeconomica that, in addition to general principles and criteria, also includes some practical guidelines. This Ratio could subsequently be implemented in the circumscriptions using their own criteria, according to their specific circumstances.

Some interventions underscored fundamental questions, such as the topic of vocations, not sufficiently considered by the proposals and which should be developed in a specific proposal on this topic. It should consider, for example, the issue of the diminishment of vocations and the practical help that should be offered, as much in terms of personnel as of financial support, to those regions experiencing an increase of vocations. The proposals were considered one by one and voted upon to determine if they should be included as a capitular proposal in the official vote. Based on the considerations raised in the plenary session, the preliminary proposals approved will be reformulated by the specific technical commissions. Following this, the psalms of Midday Prayer were recited, and lunch was served.

In the afternoon, work resumed at 4:00pm in a plenary session moderated by Fr. Martin Davakan, OSA. It followed the same dynamic as the morning: proposals from specific sections were evaluated, some of which were reformulated and others added. Proposals related to the section on the communion of material goods; common life; apostolic activity and mission; structures; and collaboration among circumscriptions were analyzed. Work concluded at 7:00pm and the schedule resumed as planned for the rest of the day.