Mother of Good Counsel Monastery-1993
Carmel Farms, Purok 8,
Tungkong Mangga
San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
P.O. Box 196-M Novaliches,
Quezon City 1123
Pager No. 141-980472
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Together let us search for God by way of the Heart
"All those who believed were of ONE HEART AND SOUL and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common" (Acts of the Apostles).
St. Augustine was the first of us to be caught up in this adventure of seeking God. He was pursued and won over by God and right after his conversion he surrendered all to HIM who is: BEAUTY, WISDOM, TRUTH, LOVE.
But he couldn't do it without his friends. FRIENDSHIP was second nature to him. Inspired by the experience of the first Christian community, he and his friends decided to SEEK GOD TOGETHER: "The main reason for your coming together is to live harmoniously in the house, intend upon God in oneness of mind and heart..."(Rule, Chapter 3).
In 1991, two nuns from the Augustinian Federation of Italian Monasteries came to the Philippines to start the new foundation of an Augustinian Contemplative Monastery. The main objective of the Federation - following the suggestion of the Prior General of the Order and in line with the directives of the Philippine Hierarchy- is to form young adults in religious life according to the charism of the Augustinian Order and rooted in the cultural context of the Philippines.
The temporary monastery was erected on October 2, 1993 located in San Pedro, Laguna. In small family house turned into a "little monastery", three professed nuns from Italy started to live the Augustinian monastic life. Neighbors, friends and benefactors also came to help, to pray and to share with the community. A gesture that encouraged the Federation to hasten the construction of the monastery.
After the years of its joy and difficulties, on April 26,1998, the dream became a reality with the blessing of the new monastery "Mother of Good Counsel" located in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, where the monastery now stands.
And then on November 21, 1999 the celebration of the temporary profession of the first two Filipina Sisters brought great joy to the community. Indeed, the Lord continues to do great works and wonders! At present, the community consists of four professed nuns, two juniors, two postulants and two aspirants .Formation especially of the 'young ones' is given importance in the community. Teachers and priests come to teach Sacred Scripture, Liturgy, Augustinian Spirituality, Human Science, Music and other subjects related to the 'initial' as well as with 'permanent' formation. Moreover, those under formation are also encouraged to develop their skill in artworks.
Religious Orders
HISTORY
CHARISM
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The goal of the community is to carry out St. Augustine's monastic ideal of contemplative life, the kind of life he always yearned for while immersed in the affairs of the active world.
Our Father, St. Augustine, inspired by the experienced of the first community of Jerusalem wanted his Monastery to be a cenacle of persons, together attracted by the marvelous deepness of the Scripture in the passionate desire of loving, knowing and following Christ and His Church, within a rule of life that would permit the perennial and solemn praise, the communion, and the great attention to the brothers in search for God.
And thus came the three basic elements of our Augustinian monastic life.
- An ardent and incessant search for God, a life through interiority, that is a life of praise, of meditation, of silence, of recollection, of work and study both on personal and communitarian levels. "0 God, that I may know myself, that / may know you for You I sigh night and day" (Sol. 2,1,1; Conf.VII.10,16).
- A perfect common life, promised together with the three vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, built on friendship: a journey together towards God by way of the hear. "We live with you and for you: and it is our intention and wish to live with you in the presence of Christ always" (Serm 355,1).
- Sharing to the Church: St. Augustine wants his monasteries to be centers of hospitality where as in a haven, man can find God and His peace. So in our community, spirituality is shared and contemplation and liturgical prayer are placed at the service of the Church.
The monastery aims to be a Formation House too, a center of Augustinian Spirituality from which the theological and spiritual doctrine of St. Augustine and the tradition of the Augustinian Order will be spread far beyond its walls.
The Augustinian Rule states that: "The main purpose for your having come together is to live harmoniously in your house , intent upon GOD in oneness of mind and heart" (Aug. R. 3). Hence, the experience f the early Christians has seized us and completely immersed us in a life we, ourselves, are unable to describe. It has brought us together...into a cloister, in order to place us in the infinite space of God and into the heart of men and women of our times. "If you love the body of Christ, that is the unity of the Church, carry them so that they can enjoy it with you and sang: magnify the Lord with me" (Comm. Ps 33. Disc. 60).
A visit in the monastery opens a broader horizon for you.. wherein…
Silence will welcome you,
Friendship will meet you,
Prayer will show you the way
To find yourself
To find God, and
To find your place in the Church.
VISION-MISSION
Augustinian Contemplative Nuns
Basilica Minore, Diocese of Malolos
