NGO: Augustinian - 02

 

In 2002 - 2006, Jesús Guzman O.S.A. was the Order's first full-time representative at the United Nations.

 

He has stated: The team that represents the Order of Saint Augustine at the United Nations wishes to place itself at your service. That is why we are here.

 

We received the mandate of the most recent General Chapter of the Order, which is your mandate, expressed by your representatives in the General Chapter in 2002.

 

We are here to "speak of the Gospel", and not simply to speak on social or economic topics.

 

We are here to help you to put into practice the reflections of our specialists in the different disciplines that present our Augustinian spirituality (spiritual tradition - in Italian, spiritualità) and charism (distinct character).

 

We are also here to implement the General Chapter mandate to establish a more permanent presence of the Order in the work of the UN and which our current PriorGeneral has carried out by naming me as the first full-time representative.

 

Just to remind you of what the General Chapter of the Order defines as my work, let me quote the document: "Regarding the UN/NGO delegation of the Order, there would be little point in having undertaken this responsibility if it were to remain an activity solely of the particular individuals assigned to this task."

 

"Essential to this task is the creation and promotion of formation and information networks disseminating information gleaned from our UN presence, encouraging critical reflection particularly among our religious communities on major topics, channelling insights and suggestions from our Catholic Christian and Augustinian tradition to the appropriate bodies."

 

In other words, this it is a job for all the members of the Augustinian family, carried out by all in collaboration to serve better the People of God in our different ministries.

 

We await your participation and constructive criticism. And remember that we are here to serve you…"  
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