“Accompanying Toward the Truth”: this is how the hymn for the Augustinian Recollect pastoral year 2026–2027 was born

The JAR community of Chihuahua, Mexico, once again sets music to the journey of the Augustinian Recollect Family. Presented on August 28, the new hymn invites us to discover Christ within, to walk in community, and to make accompaniment a shared mission.

The pastoral year 2026–2027 already has its soundtrack. On August 28, “Accompanying Toward the Truth” was presented, the hymn that will help the Augustinian Recollect Family live and share the pastoral motto in the months ahead.

Once again, the musical creation and production has relied on the talent, dedication, and sensitivity of the community of the Augustinian Recollect Youth (JAR) of Chihuahua, Mexico. Its members have turned into music a deeply Augustinian invitation: to enter one’s own heart, allow oneself to be accompanied, and walk with others toward Christ, the Truth.

At Recoletos.org we spoke with some of its creators to learn how they experienced the process and what they hope this song will awaken in those who listen to it.

A song born of interiority

The starting point was the document that develops the meaning and objectives of the pastoral motto. Among its Augustinian references, there was a phrase that especially marked Nancy Cervantes Porras: “Do not go outside; return into yourself; truth dwells in the interior of the human person.”

From that call to interiority, her contribution to the lyrics began to take shape. Also very present was Pope Francis’ insistence on the importance of not walking alone and of living discernment within a community that helps each person come to know themselves and discover the presence of God.

“We are children of the same Father, and that is why it is indispensable to be part of a community on the move,” Nancy explains. Interiority, accompaniment, and community life were thus united from the beginning of the composition.

Her participation also had a very personal dimension. For work reasons she had changed cities and could no longer meet in person with the rest of the community as in previous projects. The distance made the work more difficult, but it also gave the motto a new meaning.

The first proposals for lyrics and music traveled through messages and digital meetings. Then came the corrections, the group’s contributions, and a shared task of review that continued even during the recording.

“This motto means a great deal to me: being accompanied, walking in community, and seeking Christ together”, Nancy says. For her, the hymn is also “a hug to the heart for those of us who are far away,” and a way of remembering that distance does not prevent us from continuing to walk united.

Every word at the service of the message

For Carlos Estrada Palomares, inspiration was born directly from the motto, from the pastoral materials, and from the spirituality of Saint Augustine. The purpose was not only to compose an attractive song, but to express clearly the search for truth, the value of the shared journey, and the importance of community.

“It was not just a matter of putting words that rhymed”, he notes. Every term and every verse were carefully reviewed to keep a single thread and convey the true meaning of the pastoral proposal.

The creative process thus became an experience of accompaniment. Personal ideas were shared, corrected, and enriched until a common work was built. Even during the recording, some passages were modified to give greater clarity and strength to the message.

Hearing the hymn now in the different communities of the Augustinian Recollect Family brings Carlos joy and emotion, but also a profound sense of responsibility.

“The hymn was born of shared ideas and, above all, from the heart,” he affirms. His desire is that those who listen to it may make it their own: “In the end, the hymn does not belong only to the one who composes it or to those who take part by singing. It truly belongs to everyone, and that is always our goal.”

From the restless heart to the mission of accompanying

Héber Hermosillo Sánchez, one of the producers, explains that the very structure of the song reproduces the path of accompaniment.

The first verses begin from the fundamental discovery that Saint Augustine expresses at the beginning of the Confessions: our heart is restless. The flame that burns and the thirst that only God can satisfy represent that longing inscribed in the deepest part of the human being.

“No one is an accompanier if they have not first been accompanied,” Héber emphasizes. To accompany requires first having recognized one’s own desire for God and having allowed oneself to be found by him within.

The pre-chorus then presents accompaniment as vocation and as mission. God does not call in a generic way, but by name, welcoming the history and experiences of each person. From there he invites us to walk “hand in hand” with others. One does not accompany from theory or from a distance, but by entering with respect into the concrete reality of each brother.

The chorus gathers the heart of the Augustinian Recollect charism: to accompany toward Christ, the ultimate and eternal Truth. It is a mission that can be lived anywhere: parishes, schools, missions, convents, companies, tasks of governance, or social projects.

The final lines recall that accompaniment remains also in moments of fear and fragility. It is precisely there that God makes himself present, both in the interior of the person and in the face of the brother who walks at their side.

A hymn for walking together

“There is a flame burning in me” is the first confession of a song that begins in restlessness and ends transformed into mission. Its refrain invites us to move forward “step by step” and reminds us that truth is not an abstract idea: for the Christian, Truth is Christ.

The new hymn is meant to accompany celebrations, youth gatherings, schools, parishes, religious communities, and pastoral projects throughout the entire pastoral year 2026–2027. But its message goes beyond the music: it invites us to listen, welcome, and walk to the rhythm of those whom God places at our side.

From the Order of Augustinian Recollects and its music platform Recoletos Music, we thank the JAR community of Chihuahua for its availability and generosity, as well as for the enthusiasm with which it once again shares its gifts with the entire Augustinian Recollect Family. Thank you for transforming the pastoral motto into a song that can be prayed, celebrated, and made life.

Now the hymn ceases to belong only to those who wrote it, performed it, and produced it. It begins to travel through communities and countries to become, as its creators desired, a song for everyone.

Press play, learn its lyrics, and let “Accompanying Toward the Truth” set the rhythm of this new pastoral year. The journey begins within, but we are called to walk it together.

Credits for “Accompanying Toward the Truth”

Singer-songwriters: Paulina Cano Espino, Nancy Cervantes Porras, Carlos Estrada Palomares, and Friar Bernal Guerrero Sandí, OAR. Production: Mario Ríos Sosa and Héber Hermosillo Sánchez. Community: Augustinian Recollect Youth of Chihuahua, Mexico.