On August 4-8, 2025, the friars of the “Rioplatense” Province of St. Anthony of Padua in Argentina-Uruguay conducted their annual spiritual retreat at the María Auxiliadora Retreat Center in San Miguel, a city in the Greater Buenos Aires area, Argentina. The retreat was a privileged time of prayer, silence, and interior renewal.
Friar Fabio M. MAZZINI, a member of the Provincial Delegation in Chile, was also present, as was Yoel Daniel BAJINAY, a young man who formally began his pre-novitiate formation phase at this retreat. He will carry out his formation in Chile.
Friar Bernardo MOLINA, OFM Cap., preached the retreat. He is a well-known expert on Franciscan sources. The central theme of the retreat was the “Admonitions of St. Francis of Assisi,” a short but profound text which, in the words of the preacher, continues to illuminate the life of the friars with surprising relevance.
The Minister Provincial, Friar Javier A. FONTANA, and all of the participants, expressed their deep gratitude to Friar Bernardo for the richness and depth of his teaching. His presentation combined rigorous analysis of the texts with wise and spiritual insight, helping to reveal the power and freshness of the words that St. Francis addressed to the friars of his day and which, surprisingly, continue to challenge and guide fraternal life today.
Friar Martín P. BITZER, Provincial Secretary
