Saint Augustine is the father of our spirituality. He was born at Tagaste (North Africa) on the 13th November in the year 354. He died in the year 430 at Hippona (Africa) on the 28th August, date on which we now celebrate his feast day.
Brought up according to the Catholic faith, he lived a dissolute life in his youth until the reading of Cicero’s “Hortensius” drew him back again to the life of the spirit. Attracted by the Manichean heresy, the encounter with Saint Ambrose – by whom he was then baptised – brought him back to the faith. On returning to Africa after his mother’s death, he founded a monastery at Tagaste, and then two monasteries of laymen at Hippona, where the otium sanctum (absolute contemplation in silence and solitude),was the main occupation.
The great innovation came about when Augustine, a passionate lover of community life, began to live personally with the priests of his diocese - first as a priest and then as Bishop of Hippona, with two basic commitments: community life, and pastoral service. He wrote a Rule that was then used by the communities of the Regular Canons during the 11th century.
Philosopher, theologian, mystic, orator and polemist, to him is attributed the first synthesis between philosophy and faith which demonstrates how a perfect conciliation is possible between the earthly city and the heavenly city. In the world in which we live today, where it seems that the earthly city is in conflict with the heavenly city, his message remains ever yet an admonition and a hope for humanity.