Augustinians of the Midwest - Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel - Order of St. Augustine

You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you. --St. Augustine, Confessions

Who
We Are

Augustinian
Vocations

Augustinian
Volunteers

Augustinian
Guild

Missions
in Peru

Justice
& Peace

Augustinian Spirituality

Augustinian Saints, Blesseds and More . . .

Through the ages many followers of the Augustinian way of life have been declared Saint or Blessed by the Catholic Church.

» Learn about these Augustinian heroes of the Christian Faith

Roots of Augustinian Spirituality

Augustinian Spirituality is based on principles found in Holy Scripture and guided by the thought of St. Augustine of Hippo, the great Fifth Century African Doctor of the Church and framer of the ideals of our community life.

Some key elements of Augustinian Spirituality are

Holy Scripture as a primary place of encountering God
Discovering God in Community
Interiority
Promotion of Justice, Unity, Harmony, Peace and Reconciliation
Apostolic Service

» See more about the Roots of Augustinian Spirituality

St. Augustine's Vision of Christian Monastic Community

St. Augustine is recognized as one of the most influential architects of monastic community life in the Western Church. His Rule provides the basic principles which guide not only the Augustinians of the twenty-first century, but hundreds of other contemporary religious communities as well.

» Discover Augustine's vision and spirituality of Christian religious community life

Augustinian Theme of Harmony

A seldom-discussed theme of Augustinian Spirituality is that of Harmony. In his newly completed doctoral thesis, Augustinian Friar Robert F. Dueweke, O.S.A. explores this timely theme as expressed in the writings of St. Augustine.

After explaining the term harmony as understood by Augustine, Father Dueweke examines Augustine's concepts of Creation and Rightly Ordered Love, Prayer and Communion, and the Totus Christus, present in the community of the faithful, with the poor and downtrodden, and in momemts of discord.

» Learn about St. Augustine's spirituality of Harmony

Benedict XVI Reflects on St. Augustine

Pope Benedict XVI devoted three talks at 2008 Papal General Audiences to his reflections on St. Augustine.

» Read Pope Benedict's reflections on Augustine

Dedicated in Prayer . . .

Because of our particular relationship to the example of the early Christian community, Augustinians are called in a special way to common prayer. In this type of prayer we give expression to the very essence of the Church as community. Individual prayer is also an important part of the spiritual development of each member of the Order.

As Augustinians, we have made the choice:

To foster common prayer, meaningful liturgical celebrations, spiritual reading, and annual retreats.
To spend time in quiet prayer and reflection in common.
To use the writings of Saint Augustine and sources of Augustinian spirituality, comunally and individually.
To develop a deeper interior life using scripture-centered prayer and discussions.

For Further Reading . . .

If you would like read more about Saint Augustine and Augustinian Spirituality, you can find quality books at

» Augustinian Press (Opens new window)
A good source of books on Augustine and Augustinian Spirituality

» New City Press (Opens new window)
Offers Augustine's writings expertly translated into modern English

Daily Bible Reading
(Opens new window)
--from U.S.C.C.B.

Augustine Day by Day
(Opens new window)
Inspiration from Saint Augustine
for each day of the year
--from Villanova