OAE ASSEMBLY - MAY 2026 - GHENT, BELGIUM

From May 25 to 29, 2026, the OSA Major Superiors of Europe gathered for the annual meeting of the OAE in our community in Ghent, Belgium.

The main theme of the meeting was the challenge of living and working in multicultural communities and societies, with particular attention to the experience of young Augustinians from other cultures serving in the European context.

Fr. Gladson Dabre, OSA (left) Fr. Leslie Gatt, OSA (right)

Following the election of the Most Reverend Father Martin Davakan, OSA as Assistant General, elections for a new President and Vice-President of the OAE were also held, as well as the appointments of the members of the OAE Secretariat.

The Most Reverend Father Gladson Dabre, OSA, Prior Provincial of the Anglo-Scottish Province of St. John Stone, was elected as the new President. He had previously served as President following the retirement of the Father Davakan. The Most Reverend Father Leslie Gatt, OSA, Provincial of the Province of St. Mark of Malta, was elected as the new Vice President. The Secretariat was reappointed.

The central theme of the meeting, very fittingly held in the multicultural Belgian community, was addressed by the Father Davakan, former Provincial of the same province, with a detailed report and a vivid testimony of the Belgian Province's courageous openness over the past several years. This report was also complemented by the testimonies of two other young confreres, one from Vietnam and the other from South Sudan.

All the Superiors present acknowledged the strong influence of multiculturalism on Augustinian life, both today and in the past. In fact, all those present have had experiences of formation, study, or collaboration outside their own province and culture, or with confreres from other cultures within the context of Augustinian spirituality and fraternity.

Many valuable ideas, suggestions, and proposals began to emerge, and several concrete steps were decided to continue the discussion and the organization of communication and development structures. We hope that these will bear fruit, also in view of the next OAE General Assembly, which will take place from 6 to 11 June 2027 and will be hosted by the Province of England and Scotland.