The new board of OALA met in Conocoto - Quito, Ecuador, from July 18 to 20, on the occasion of the celebration of the 450th anniversary of the Augustinian Province of San Miguel de Quito and the 30th anniversary of the Conocoto Encounter, a historic event that began the revitalization process of the Order in our continent
The coordinators of the pastoral areas, of the technical commissions and of the three regions of Latin America and the Caribbean, together with the Secretary General of OALA, elected at the XX Ordinary Assembly of OALA, held in April 2023, in Mexico, presented their projects and proposals for action for the four-year period 2023-2027.
O.A.L.A – The organization of the Augustinians of Latin America and the Caribbean, was born under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, in the context of the renewal movement of the church with the Second Vatican Council and its application in the Latin American ecclesial reality, through the Medellín Conference (1968). Ecuador was the place where our organization was founded, in the convent of San Agustín de Quito, in April 1969.
In the Statutes its triple mission is presented: critical-prophetic inspiration, animation and coordination. This mission is carried out through various areas and work commissions that represent the various apostolates and services, namely: Areas of Education, Initial Formation, Youth Formation and Vocational Formation, Justice-Peace and Care for Creation, urban and missionary pastoral ministry, Secular Fraternities and Spirituality, and Continental Animation, Technical Commissions for History, Communication and Permanent Formation.
It also has the support of a coordinator for each of the three regions: North Region, Central Region and South Region of the continent.
In this meeting, held in Quito, the new leadership, in tune with the synodal process, reflected on the proposal of a spirituality project to be developed in the next four years, whose title is: "From the community towards synodality: a path of communion, participation and mission". The objective of this project is to encourage the process of personal and community conversion with a view to an integral transformation (social, ecological, ecclesial and cultural), in fidelity to our charism of listening and accompaniment in our works and services, together with the People of God. It is also proposed for this new four-year period to strengthen the dialogue and support between the major superiors and their circumscriptions for possible common projects in the regions: among them is the process of dialogue on the common houses of formation, in order to guarantee a good community: Augustinian, religious, intellectual and missionary-pastoral formation for the future Augustinians of the continent.
Another commitment of this directive is to collaborate with initial and ongoing formation, offering courses, symposiums and meetings. We propose to recover the historical memory of our Augustinian presence in Latin America and in the Caribbean, so that the new generations know the past and the Augustinian mission carried out throughout time, its characters, options, challenges and achievements in evangelization. With the creation of a new area for the Secular Augustinian Fraternities, it will seek to strengthen the existing Secular Augustinian Fraternities and promote new fraternities, with the aim of walking together, as religious and lay brothers and sisters, who identify with and want to integrate into our life and Augustinian charism. Various other projects in the field of justice and peace, education, youth and vocational ministry, urban and missionary ministry, and communication will be carried out by the members of the board, with the support of the Base Delegates of each circumscription and the Major Superiors.