Community: nature

Augustinian Prior
General at home in
Rome, Italy

The way the Augustinian Order came into existence caused it to receive certain essential elements thereby.

The living out of these three elements strongly indicates to the specific essence and nature of the Augustinian Order.

These three contributing factors were

(1) the principles of the particular monastic ideal of Saint Augustine of Hippo,

(2) the formal foundation of the Order by various decrees of Pope Innocent IV in 1244 and Pope Alexander IV in 1256, and

(3) its status as a mendicant order.

(1) The style of life for a community as proposed by Augustine both in his Rule and by his personal example emphasised the renunciation of inequalities because of privileges that an individual may have received before joining.

All members are able to develop whatever talents given by the Lord. For pages on the Rule, click here.

(2) Community is not limited to the geographical locality to which a member is assigned, but by the intention of the papal contribution to the beginning of the Order, and is able to be lived at any point where the universal church has a need for Augustinian communities to serve.

To learn more about how the formation of the Order fulfilled the desire of the Church in addressing the needs of the thirteenth century, click here.

(3) The charism of being mendicants allows the order to move around without geographical or economic limitations, paying attention to the needs of the People of God.

The order is at the service of every society, living within it and placing before it the example of its Augustinian kind of community. ID0934

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Community: nature

Community: preface

Community: ideals

Community: communion