Barcelona: Augustinian Family Meets Pope Leo
- Jun 9
- 2 min read
Fr. Martin, Davakan, OSA
With hearts full of joy and gratitude, we wish to share with you one of the most beautiful and meaningful experiences we have recently had: our meeting with Pope Leo here in Barcelona.
On this special occasion, we were represented by a group of 25 brothers and sisters reflecting the richness of our charism: Augustinians, Missionary Augustinian Sisters, Contemplative Augustinian Sisters, and Augustinian Sisters of Consolation. Together, as one family, we experienced a moment of profound ecclesial communion.
During the meeting, the Holy Father addressed us warmly and entrusted us with three fundamental tasks for our life and mission today:
The Pope's three key points for the Augustinian family:
A witness to communion in a divided world: The Pope reminded us that we are living through a true "moment of grace as Augustinians." Therefore, in an increasingly polarized and fractured world, we Augustinians have the mission of being witnesses to communion, and we must bring this message to the world.
Passionate love for the Church: He invited us to renew our love for the Church by quoting a beautiful and famous phrase from our father, Saint Augustine: "Whoever loves Christ must love the Church, because the Church is the body of Christ."
Stepping out of the comfort zone: Finally, he issued a direct and bold challenge: not to remain settled in the comfort of our routines or structures, but to have the courage to go out and meet people, right where their joys and sufferings lie.
The meeting also offered us moments of great closeness. Each of the 25 attendees had the opportunity to greet the Holy Father personally and exchange a few brief words with him—a moment we capped off with a beautiful family photo.
Furthermore, we had the pleasure of presenting a project turned reality—one that fills us with pride and was made possible by the efforts of so many volunteers: the creation of 7,000 hats bearing the inscription "Augustinians with the Pope: Lift Your Gaze."
We return with renewed strength and a desire to keep walking together, with our gaze lifted high and our hearts set ablaze. May Saint Augustine continue to guide us as we bear witness to Love in the midst of the world!
Comments