The Augustinians: a look at the religious order of Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV, chosen on Thursday, May 8, is the first Pope of the Order of St. Augustine (OSA), also known as the Augustinians or Augustinians, an old religious order with thousands of members worldwide.

The Order of San Agustín was formed almost 800 years ago, initially composed of the union of several religious communities that followed the rule of St. Augustine, a document written by the saint in the fourth century that remains very influential between Catholic orders today.

San Agustín de Hipona (354–430)

San Agustín He was a Catholic bishop, theologian and doctor of the Church whose thoughts and writings have shaped the Catholic doctrine for more than a millennium.

As he recounts in his autobiographical work, ConfessionsAgustín was raised as a Christian, but then abandoned faith to lead a life of debauchery and worldly pleasures, while becoming a philosopher and consummated rhetorical.

After years following the Manichaean heresy (which argues that the world is in a constant struggle between darkness and light), Agustín met Saint AmbroseBishop and also a doctor of the Church, who inspired him to seek the truth in the Christian faith he had rejected. Agustín returned to the Catholic faith, thus fulfilling the years of fervent prayer of his mother, Santa Monica.

Upon returning to Africa, during a visit to Hipona, Agustín was proclaimed priest and then bishop against his will. He later accepted this as the will of God and spent the rest of his life as a pastor of the North African city, spending a lot of time refuting the writings of the heretics.

Agustín’s written works, including Confessions y The city of GodThey are still classics of Christian literature and philosophy.

Order formation

As bishop – according to the Catholic encyclopedia – Agustín led a community monastic life with his clergy; The votes were not mandatory, but the possession of private goods was prohibited.

Many wanted to imitate their way of life, and Agustín wrote instructions during his life to guide the monastic communities, such as The work of monks (On the work of the monks). Lateran Synod in 1059 approved the “ruler“From Agustín for the canons – that is, clergymen who wanted to follow Agustín’s lifestyle – and the rule was gradually adopted by many communities, especially in Italy.

The rule emphasizes love to God and neighbor as the main commandment, underlining the importance of life and sharing in community, and prioritizing humility over earthly status.

Pope Innocent IV, in 1244, joined all communities dispersed in Italy that followed the rule, thus forming the hermits of St. Augustine, a begging order (that is, the friars make vote of poverty and depend on the support of the faithful). A later Pope, Alejandro IV, unified even more monasteries and communities in 1256 and also released the order of the jurisdiction of the bishops.

In a century of the Great Union, as the consolidation of 1256 was known, there were already 8,000 friars established in many countries. HE They involved in various tasks as shepherds, preachers, educators, scholars, theologians and missionaries.

As prolific missionaries, the Augustinians expanded in Europe, as well as by North and South America, Africa, Japan, Persia, India and China. The Augustinians are present in Peru – where Leo XIV spent more than two decades of his ministry – since 1551.

In the United States, there are currently three regional provinces of Agustinos: one based in Philadelphia, another in Chicago and another in San Diego. The province of Philadelphia was the first, founded after Bishop John Carroll de Baltimore invited the Augustinians to arrive from Ireland, in the 1790s.

The Order of San Agustín today includes about 2,800 Augustinians in 47 countries around the world, According to the order.

Leo XIV is the first Pope who is a member of the Order of St. Augustine. Five previous potatoes were regular canons – yields that followed the rule of San Agustín – and one, Gregorio VIII, was a member of the Order of the Norbertinos, which also follows the rule of St. Augustine.

However, there have been several Augustinian Augustinians such as Santos, including San Nicolás de Tolentino and Santo Tomás de Villanueva.

UN Pope Agustino

As a young Robert Prevost, today Pope Leo XIV attended an Agustino Secondary Seminar near Holland, Michigan (United States), which is now a place of events. He later obtained a degree in mathematical sciences at the Villanova University, sponsored by the Augustinians and located in Pennsylvania.

He made his solemn votes as Agustino in 1981 and was ordained a priest in June 1982 after studying theology at the Catholic Theological Union of Chicago. After being ordered, he obtained a doctorate in Canon Law at the Pontifical College of Santo Tomás de Aquino (also known as the Angelic) In Rome, in 1987.

Prevost returned to Chicago for a short time in 1987, serving as a vocational promoter and director of missions for the Augustinians of the west (province of our mother of good advice). He was then sent to Peru, where he served the Augustinians in various functions, including regional ecclesiastical judge and professor of canon law at the Diocesan Seminary of Trujillo (Peru) for 10 years.

After being elected superior of the Augustinian province of Chicago, Prevost returned to the United States in 1999. He was elected general prior of the Augustinians in 2001 and re -elected in 2007, serving as the head of the order until 2013.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Press team. Originally published in CNA.