Thursday, June 4, 2026
This year, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Sacrament coincides with the 50th anniversary of the passing of our two Argentine brothers, Carlos Antonio di Pietro and Raul Eduardo Rodriguez. Today’s Eucharist was therefore celebrated in memory of these two beacons of evangelical love within the Assumption and the Church in Argentina. We entrust our religious family to their fraternal intercession.
Following the celebration, time was set aside to prepare for the international meeting of the Lay-Religious Alliance, scheduled for 2027. The international commission is already getting to work, and the details regarding participation will be determined by the commission in consultation with the provincial levels.
The session continued with a time of reflection on the renewed prominence of the figure of Saint Augustine in the life of the Church, especially on the occasion of the election of one of his disciples, Pope Leo XIV, to lead the Church. The entire Augustinian family is aware that this event, this “Augustinian Momentum,” is not insignificant. We regard it as a time of grace for our spiritual family, a call to seek together ways to make the legacy of our spiritual father our own more fully and to present it in a simple way to the Church. Thus, we see that since the time of Leo XIV, the Augustinian family has sought to create opportunities to pray, reflect, and celebrate together.
This reflection also brought back memories for PGC members of the glory days of the Assumption, when the university was home to scholars of St. Augustine who played a pivotal role in promoting Augustinian thought within the Church. Is it still possible today to inspire vocations of this caliber? There is also the question of how we make use of currently available resources, such as the “Itinéraires augustiniens” and the “Revue des études augustiniennes, ” as well as through retreats and Augustinian days. It might also be helpful for us to compile a list of resource persons in this field. It is certainly also possible to identify, during local chapters, certain community practices that would help us draw daily from the sources of Saint Augustine.
A PGC session held in a particular region also provides an opportunity to engage with the local socio-ecclesial reality. To that end, we were inspired by the Rector of the Roman Catholic Seminary in Iaşi, which serves as the training center for Latin Rite priests for the dioceses of Iaşi and Bucharest. In his presentation, the dedicated formator outlined in an hour the history and life of the Romanian Church, which is composed mainly of Orthodox faithful and Roman Catholic (Latin Rite) and Greek Catholic communities, as well as very small groups of Protestants, Anglicans, and Muslims.
He also highlighted a number of challenges facing the Roman Catholic Church in Romania. These include, among other things, the aging of the population, which is a direct consequence of the migration of young people to the West and which, combined with the declining birth rate, is leading to a drop in vocations to the Church. Dialogue with the Orthodox is, in fact, the major challenge in light of the Gospel’s call for communion. Fortunately, this dialogue is not entirely nonexistent. It takes place, in fact, within the framework of ecumenical meetings that are primarily theological in nature, while the sharing of prayer is strictly excluded by the Orthodox side.
Fr. Thierry KAHONGYA
1-See Fr. Nicolas Potteau’s lecture on the morning’s theme : Fr. Emmanuel d’Alzon and St. Augustine, Paris, November 22, 2023
of the Seminary in Iaşi
of the Seminary in Iaşi
Buenos Aires
2-A well-known quote from Saint Augustine, corrected by our expert (Fr. Nicolas Potteau):
“For the lover of God, the measure is to love without measure.” (Sermon Dolbeau 11,9)
