OFFICIAL NAME
Fraternity of St Thomas Aquinas Groups
ACRONYM
FASTA (Fraternidad de Agrupaciones Santo Tomás de Aquino)
ESTABLISHED
1962
HISTORY
FASTA was established in Leones, Argentina, by Fr Aníbal Ernesto Fosbery OP, in response to the prompting of Vatican II to promote the participation of the lay faithful in the life and mission of the Church and with the objective of imbuing society with Christian values. Originally called the "Lay Fraternity of the Dominican Order" and recognised as such by the Master General of the Order in 1971, it was first recognised at the diocesan level by the Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1993. For over 40 years, the Fraternity has been performing its mission through events marked by Dominican spirituality, and through the commitment of families, adults and young people that find in it a place for personal and community salvation as well as a specific kind of apostolic action. On 29 May 1997, the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition of the Fraternidad de Agrupaciones Santo Tomás de Aquino as an international association of the faithful of Pontifical Right.
IDENTITY
FASTA sets out to build up the city of God amidst the cities of humankind, as a place where social, political, cultural and religious self-fulfilment is decided, by evangelising culture, the family and the younger generations. The Fraternity pursues these aims through systematic human and spiritual formation and the education of the individual in social living and the awareness of social duties. The path of learning provided to its members gives pride of place to the sacred dimension, to build up Christian communities in which to personally experience the mystery of God; the sapiential dimension, in order to develop a world vision rooted in Christian wisdom and enlightened by the Magisterium and the teachings of the doctors of the Church, and particularly St Thomas Aquinas; the apostolic dimension, to enable people to place themselves at the service of the Church and society, bearing witness to their faith in Christ; the organisational dimension, as a vital element in the formation of leaders, prepared to work according to the principles of the Church’s social teaching.
ORGANISATION
FASTA comprises a branch for the laity and a branch for priests. Responsibility for government and its work is vested in the laity, who may be de jure members or de facto members. The de jure members are those whose vocation leads them to undertake the apostolic commitment of the Fraternity, with their membership sanctioned by an official ceremony. The de facto members are those who do not have legal ties with the Fraternity but participate in its life and share its ideals and spirituality.
MEMBERSHIP
FASTA has a membership of about 10,000 families who share its charism, in 5 countries as follows: Europe (1), South America (4).
WORKS
FASTA has created a wide-ranging educational network, comprising two universities, numerous colleges and 40 youth training centres in Argentina, Spain, Peru, Brazil and Chile.
PUBLICATIONS
Cumbres, a six monthly periodical; Buenas Nuevas, published monthly.
HEADQUARTERS
Fraternidad de Agrupaciones Santo Tomás de Aquino
Soler, 5942 - C1425BYN Buenos Aires - Argentina
Tel. [+54] 11.47762722 - Fax 11.47760653
Email: privada@fasta.org.ar