The Order of Saint Augustine is a mendicant order. It was founded in Rome in the 13th century. The Augustinians came to Chile in the late sixteenth century. The Mercedarians, Dominicans and Franciscans had come first. The Augustinians arrived in the port of Valparaíso in February 1595. The Order is known as the Augustinians Recollects.

The Augustinian priests profess the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, exercising their ministry to the Church in mission territories, parishes, schools and houses of formation for those who aspire to be Augustinian Recollects, as religious brothers or as religious priests.

Antonio was admitted to the vocational process first. Then the formation process would begin at the Seminary. There he would study philosophy for three years.

Afterwards, he would enter the novitiate for a period of one year and, once that stage had finished, he would make temporary vows. He would continue his formation in the field of theology, for four years, adding one year of pastoral experience.

For three years, his family heard little of Antonio, in spite of frequent visits of his mother who was pleasantly surprised by the passionate enthusiasm of her son about bringing more souls into the Catholic faith.

However, her surprise became sorrow when Filomena came shouting into her house, newspaper in hand, where a picture of Antonio and other young men showed them making bombs in a cellar.

According to the newspaper article the enthusiastic priest candidates were planning to plant bombs in several shanty towns around Santiago to provoke panic. Then they would have the opportunity to console the affected people, convince them to repent from their sins, and bring them to the Catholic Church.

Antonio and his accomplices were arrested. The news followed the case for awhile, until the powers of the Church intervened, and the young men were silently sent individually in different directions to serve in tiny churches in isolated villages.

Filomena managed to find out through substantial donations, that Antonio had been sent to a small village in the south of Peru.