In a letter sent earlier this month, the Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, Fr. Alejandro Moral Anton, OSA, encouraged all the members of the Order to participate in the Synodal Journey of the Church formally opened by Pope Francis on October 9 and 10 2022

To animate the Order’s participation in this Synod, the Prior General created an international commission composed of friars, sisters and lay people: Fr. Enrique Martin Sanz, (Coordinator, Spain), Fr. Nolasco Msemwa, (Tanzania, Vice-Coordinator), Fr. Juan Francisco Costanzo (Chile), and Fr. Victor Gonzaga (Philippines); two Augustinian sisters, Sr. Fulvia Sieni (Italy) and Sr. Maria de la Eucharistia Figueroa Serra (Spain); and, 2 laities, Dr. Enilka Hernandez (Dominican Republic) and Dr. Joseph T. Kelley (United States of America).

In his letter to the Order, Fr Alejandro Moral Anton, quoted H. Emm. Cardinal Mario Grech’s homily on the feast of Saint Augustine last August in Rome, referring to the Augustinian vision of a ‘Synodal’ Church recalling that “for St. Augustine the idea of the Church as a community is inclusive and not exclusive, it is welcoming and open without distinctions or differences: its catholicity expresses a vocation to totality. Augustine’s ecclesiology not only confirms the synodal witness of the ancient Churches but is also a stimulus for the Church of today, which is called to engage in the synodal journey. The Church is not truly founded, nor does she fully live her mission, nor is she a perfect sign of Christ among us, until she has the ecclesiological profiles highlighted by the one who has been defined as – post apostolos onium ecclesiarum magister – the teacher of all the churches after the apostles: St. Augustine!”

The Prior General also invited the members of the Order to reflect on this synodal journey within the Order asking questions like: “How does this “walking together” take place today within the Order (friars, nuns, laity)? How do we live our participation in the Church, both local and universal? How do we enrich the ecclesial reality with our charism, and how are enriched in walking together with other charisms and vocations? What steps should we take to grow as a synodal Church? What does the Spirit ask of us today, what does the Spirit urge us to do?”

Between the 11th and 15th of October a group of Augustinian friars gathered at the Stella Maris Retreat House in Zebbug Gozo for a few days of prayer and reflection. During these days, the friars had the opportunity to have a break from their daily routine and reflect on their own calling, accompanied by Mons. Frans Abdilla who animated these days.

In addition to the interesting and current reflections shared by Fr Frans, the friars took the opportunity to share their experiences and reflected on excerpts from the Confessions of St. Augustine. These days were even a wonderful opportunity for religious from different communities to come together and share the beauty of the Augustinian religious life away from pastoral commitments. These days of retreat came to a close with the celebration of the eucharist in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of ta’ Pinu.

On Wednesday 20 October 2021 all friars of the Augustinian Province attended a meeting in preparation for the 2022 Provincial Chapter. The meeting commenced with vespers in memory of St. Madalen of Nagasaki, Virgin and Augustinian Martyr.

Mr Andre’ Paul Debattista, Assistant Lecturer at the Institute for European Studies was Invited to this meeting. He expounded on an analysis of the replies received to a questionnaire that had been circulated amongst the laity who are close to us Augustinians. Prior to that presentation, Prior Provincial, Fr. Leslie Gatt OSA spoke about the responses received from the friars themselves to another questionnaire.

Opportunity is taken to thank all the laity who responded to the questionnaire which had been sent to them. We ask you to pray for us as we prepare ourselves for the 2022 Provincial Chapter.

On the 9th and 10th October 2021, Pope Francis opened formally the Synodal Journey of the Church which will reach its climax in the Synod of Bishops to be held at the Vatican in October 2023.

Pope Francis had announced the convocation of a Synod of Bishops way back in May 2021 with the theme being the ‘synodal journey’ itself, “For a synodal Church: Communion, participation, and mission.”  A new team proposed a renewed Synodal process starting in the local Church. Pope Francis has trusted this project to the leadership of His Emm. Mons Mario Grech as newly appointed Secretary to the Synod. Amongst his two closest collaborators there is also the Augustinian Mons Luis Marin de San Martin who visited Malta several times as Assistant General of the Order responsible for the South European Region.

In the meantime Mons Charles Scicluna, Archbishop of Malta will open the Synodal Journey in the Archdiocese with a Mass celebrated at the Mellieha Sanctuary next Sunday 17th October at 9.30am. The mass will be transmitted on TVM. Mons. Anton Teuma will then open the same process in the Diocese of Gozo with a Mass at the Gozo Cathedral on the same day at 7.15pm.

Let us all participate actively in the itinerary proposed by the Secretariat of the Synod, in which every Christian is to question himself on synodality being in the words of Pope Francis, ‘a decisive theme for the life and mission of the Church.’ Above all, it is recommended that all the faithful feel the responsibility to support this journey with their prayers.