The Order of Augustinian Recollects (OAR) is a
mendicant Catholic religious order
In the Catholic Church, a religious order is a community of consecrated life with members that profess solemn vows. They are classed as a type of religious institute.
Subcategories of religious orders are:
* canons regular (canons and canon ...
of
friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the o ...
s and
nuns. It is a reformist offshoot from the
Augustinian hermit friars and follows the same
Rule of St. Augustine
The Rule of Saint Augustine, written about the year 400, is a brief document divided into eight chapters and serves as an outline for religious life lived in community. It is the oldest monastic rule in the Western Church.
The rule, developed ...
.
History
The Order was founded in 16th-century Spain as a separate
province of the Augustinian friars, under their own
Vicar General
A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...
. Through the 5th Determination of the
Chapter of Toledo, it was decided that:
Their reform emphasized fidelity to the Rule of St. Augustine. The reformers placed special emphasis on community prayer and simplicity of life.
On June 5, 1621, the Recollects was raised to the level of an
autonomous
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ow ...
Religious Congregation
A religious congregation is a type of religious institute in the Catholic Church. They are legally distinguished from religious orders – the other major type of religious institute – in that members take simple vows, whereas members of religi ...
, giving it the right to divide itself into provinces. The first Recollects reached Japan, by way of the Philippines in 1623.
In the 1800s, the Order was persecuted by Leftist Revolutionary governments in Spain and Colombia. During this period of persecution in Spain and Colombia, the existence of the Order was saved since the hostile leftist governments reconsidered the missionary character of the Order since it held mission fields in the Philippines which was in sore need of religious ministers who were often the sole Spaniards and representatives of the empire among the vast frontier areas of the colony.
They were formally recognized as a
Mendicant Order in the Catholic Church in 1912, the last to be so designated.
The Third Order of the Recollects of St. Augustine was set up to involve lay men and women. They publicly declare promises to seek to follow the teachings of St. Augustine. Modern changes in the
Roman Catholic Church have led to an increased emphasis on the
laity in the work of the Church. As part of the Order, they now share in the work of the friars, and have been reorganized as the Secular Augustinian Recollects.
Global presence
In 1997, the Recollects numbered 1,258 in 201 religious houses, distributed into eight provinces (regions) in four continents, but strongest in Spain, the Philippines and Colombia. The official languages of the Order are Spanish, English, and Portuguese.
Augustinian Recollects in the Philippines
With their arrival in May 1606 from Spain, the Recollects became one of the most important groups in the history of the
evangelization of the
Philippines. Many times, the areas given to this Order were the poorest islands in the
archipelago, the ones not desired by other orders because of distance from the mainland.
Being a contemplative Order, it was not really their main goal to evangelize the country, but they became more active in the Philippines from 1606 to 1898, and later some missionaries spread the Recollect mission in Central America and in other parts of the world. Most of their houses were just formation centers, but they opened them to the public because the
faithful would go and attend Sunday services with the friars.
Their first house was built in Bagumbayan, outside the
walls of Manila. Later, they also built a house, San Nicolas de Tolentino Church, within the walls that became their house for the next hundreds of years after the British demolished all structures in Bagumbayan during their
occupation
Occupation commonly refers to:
*Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment
*Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces
*Military occupation, th ...
of the city in the 1760s. The convent was destroyed during the
World War II liberation of Manila
The Battle of Manila ( fil, Labanan sa Maynila; ja, マニラの戦い; es, Batalla de Manila; ) was a major battle of the Philippine campaign of 1944–45, during the Second World War. It was fought by forces from both the United States and ...
. Instead of rebuilding, the Order moved to its present house, then
San Sebastian Church, in
Quiapo, Manila.
Their first parish was in
Masinloc,
Zambales
Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales ( fil, Lalawigan ng Zambales; ilo, Probinsia ti Zambales; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Zambales''; xsb, Probinsya nin Zambales), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon re ...
. However, this has already been transferred to the management of the
diocese. Other parishes that were given to them early in their ministry in the
Philippines were those of
Mabalacat in
Pampanga,
Capas
Capas, officially the Municipality of Capas ( pam, Balen ning Capas;
tgl, Bayan ng Capas), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines, and one of the richest towns in the province. The town also consists of numerous su ...
and
Bamban
Bamban, officially the Municipality of Bamban ( pam, Balen ning Bamban; fil, Bayan ng Bamban), is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 78,260 people.
The municipali ...
in
Tarlac province.
The Order also had missions in
Palawan,
Calamianes
The Calamian Islands or the Calamianes is a group of islands in the province of Palawan, Philippines. It includes:
* Busuanga Island
* Coron Island
* Culion Island
* Calauit Island
* Malcapuya Island
* Banana Island
* Pass Island
* Calumbuyan I ...
and
Caraga
Caraga, officially the Caraga Administrative Region (or simply known as Caraga Region) and designated as Region XIII, is an administrative region in the Philippines occupying the northeastern section of Mindanao. The region was created throug ...
(in the northeastern part of
Mindanao). They laid the foundation for
Puerto Princesa City
Puerto Princesa, officially the City of Puerto Princesa (Cuyonon: ''Siyudad i'ang Puerto Princesa''; fil, Lungsod ng Puerto Princesa), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Mimaropa region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, ...
, the capital of
Palawan.
Mindoro and
Bohol
Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It ...
became part of their missions as well.
The province that was most heavily influenced by the Order is the island of Negros now divided into two provinces,
Occidental
Occidental may refer to:
* Western world (of or pertaining to)
Places
* Occidental, California, a town in Sonoma County, California, US
* Occidental Park (Seattle)
Other uses
* Interlingue, a constructed language formerly known as Occidental
...
and
Oriental. Most of the towns in both provinces are named after towns where the missionaries came from in Spain, such as La Carlota, Valencia, and Cádiz. The Recollect friars form a significant segment of the clergy.
Since the creation of the
Province of Saint Ezekiél Moreno on November 28, 1998, the Philippine Province was officially separated from the Province of San Nicolas de Tolentino. Now, the Philippine Province supervises not only the different missions in the
Philippines but also in
Sierra Leone and
Taiwan.
OAR learning institutions
The Order administers two universities: the
University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
in
Bacolod
Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; hil, Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Bacolod; fil, Lungsod ng Bacolod), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Western Visayas, Philippines. It is the capital of the province of Negros Occidenta ...
founded in 1941 and
University of San Jose - Recoletos
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
in
Cebu City
Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines and capital of the Cebu Province. Ac ...
founded in 1947. They also administer two colleges - the
San Sebastian College - Recoletos in
Manila (with extension campus in
Canlubang
Canlubang is a major industrial zone located in the province of Laguna, southwest of Metro Manila in the Philippines. It was once a hacienda during the Spanish colonial period. Canlubang straddles two component cities of Laguna: Cabuyao, Cal ...
) founded in 1941 and the
San Sebastian College - Recoletos de Cavite in
Cavite City
Cavite City, officially the City of Cavite ( fil, Lungsod ng Kabite, Spanish language, Spanish and cbk, Ciudad de Cavite), is a 4th class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, component city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 ...
that was founded in 1966. They also manage four secondary schools namely
Colegio de Santo Tomas-Recoletos in
San Carlos City, Colegio San Nicolas de Tolentino - Recoletos in
Talisay City both in
Negros Occidental, and the two San Pedro Academy in the
Brgys. ''Poblacion'' and Caidiocan in
Valencia,
Negros Oriental.
Augustinian Recollects in Taiwan
The Recollect foundation in Taiwan is based at
Kaohsiung City
Kaohsiung City ( Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Ka ...
. They are supported by
Filipino Recollects from the Province of St. Ezekiel Moreno.
Cardinal
The first priest from the Order of Augustinian Recollects elevated to the cardinalate was
José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán
José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuán, O.A.R. (; born 24 February 1944), is a Spanish-born Panamanian friar of the Order of Augustinian Recollects and prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has served as Bishop of David, Panama, since 1999.
On 4 J ...
, Bishop of
David in the Republic of Panama, elevated by
Pope Francis on February 14, 2015.
Secular Augustinian Recollects
The Secular Augustinian Recollects (together composed a body called the Secular Augustinian Recollect Fraternity or SARF) is the
Third Order of the Order of Augustinian Recollects. Being a full member of the OAR Family, they share in the
charism
A spiritual gift or charism (plural: charisms or charismata; in Greek singular: χάρισμα
''charisma'', plural: χαρίσματα ''charismata'') is an extraordinary power given by the Holy Spirit."Spiritual gifts". ''A Dictionary of th ...
of the Order and in turn share in the graces bestowed upon the
First Order
In mathematics and other formal sciences, first-order or first order most often means either:
* "linear" (a polynomial of degree at most one), as in first-order approximation and other calculus uses, where it is contrasted with "polynomials of hi ...
and the
Second Order.
Today, the SARF is present in 15 countries, divided into 111 local chapters and totals to about 3500 members. like the
Recollect
The Recollects (french: Récollets) were a French reform branch of the Friars Minor, a Franciscan order. Denoted by their gray habits and pointed hoods, the Recollects took vows of poverty and devoted their lives to prayer, penance, and spirit ...
priests and
nuns, full-fledged members of the
Third Order attach the SAR to their names.
History
Like the
Third Order of the
Augustinians, the Secular Augustinian Recollects trace back its history in the
middle ages. On 5 December 1588, a number of religious of the
Augustinian Province of Castile, moved by a special collective charism, expressed with renewed fervour, and according to new norms, their desire to live the type of consecrated life which
Saint Augustine established in the Church, illustrated by his doctrine and examples and ordered in his Holy Rule.
[Romanillos, Emmanuel Luis; ''The Augustinian Recollects in the Philippines : Hagiography & History''; 2000; Manila] Hence, the Augustinian Recollection came to be.
The first groups of tertiaries were recorded in the convents of
Madrid,
Alcalá,
Nava del Rey. In
Granada, there were known to exist two or three groups of
mantelatas (Spanish members of the Third Order) between 1655 and 1676.
Notable members
*
Alphonse Gallegos
*
Magdalene of Nagasaki
*
Laura Evangelista Alvarado Cardozo
Nuns
In the convent at Cybar, Mariana Manzanedo of St. Joseph instituted a reform which led to the establishment of a third, that of the female Augustinian Recollects. The statutes, drawn up by Father Antinólez, and later confirmed by Paul V, bound the sisters to the strictest interpretation of the rules of poverty and obedience, and a rigorous penitential discipline.
[Heimbucher, Max. "Hermits of St. Augustine." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 30 May 2021
See also
*
The Augustinian Recollect Province of Saint Ezequiél Moreno
References
External links
Order of Augustinian Recollects- official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Order Of Augustinian Recollects
Mendicant orders
Recollect Augustinian Order
Catholic religious orders established in the 16th century
Notre Dame Educational Association