La parroquia de Recoleta se prepara para recibir a León XIV con historia y fervor

Hay un altar en la parroquia de San Agustín, sobre Avenida Las Heras, que guarda una memoria precisa de la relación entre Buenos Aires y el papa León XIV. En 2004, Robert Prevostenal priesthood, Engines and celebrated mass there, while a then archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio stood alongside him. Today, that same space sits at the center of the preparations for the pontiff's visit to Argentina.

The parish, located at Avenida Las Heras 2560 in Recoleta, is the Buenos Aires headquarters of the Augustinian Order, the community to which León XIV belongs. The church was inaugurated in 1910 and owes its existence to a donation of land and resources from Mercedes Baudrix de Unzué. Its doors remain open to the faithful and to those who simply want to be closer to the papal visit.

A memory from 2004

Father Pablo Hernando Moreno received Prevost at the parish. At 80 years old, he continues to serve there and still recalls the emotion of that visit with evident closeness. The priest said that the community was impressed because they knew Prevost well and felt that he, in turn, knew them. Some of those present were so moved that they cried.

“Nos quedamos impresionados, algún compañero llegó a llorar de la emoción. Era una persona que habíamos conocido mucho y que él nos conocía a nosotros.”Pablo Hernando Moreno

The local Augustinian community is made up of 18 friars and is about to incorporate two newly ordained members. Juan Antonio Gil Solorzano, the regional vicar, explained that the Order's appeal to young people in Buenos Aires is closely linked to places such as Cafayate, where they encounter different realities and needs. For him, those experiences help them understand the importance of sharing, fraternity and solidarity.

“Cafayate es uno de los lugares que más engancha a nuestros jóvenes de Buenos Aires porque pueden encontrarse con otros valores, con otras realidades, con otras familias, con otras necesidades muy diferentes que los ayuda a reconocer el valor de compartir, de la fraternidad y de ser solidarios.”Juan Antonio Gil Solorzano

The Archdiocese has distributed information about the dates and times of the masses León XIV will celebrate in Argentina. The Recoleta parish is presented as the most direct place to obtain that guidance for those wishing to follow the visit. It is also a place where the current papal journey acquires a familiar face, through the memory of a 2004 Mass and the presence of those who have remained there for decades.

A presence that returned to Argentina

The Order of Saint Augustine was formally established within the Catholic Church in 1244, under Pope Innocent IV, and reached Argentina during the seventeenth century. After almost disappearing from the country following the Regulars Law of 1823, it returned in 1900. From Recoleta, that history continues with an active community preparing to welcome the first Augustinian pope in history.