28/08/2026
Today we celebrate the Memoria of St Augustine of Hippo, one of the Latin doctors of the Church, whose writings have been influential right up to the present. He lived in the 4th century, born and brought up in Hippo, now in Algeria, where he became a Bishop. It took a while to get to that point. He dabbled in various pagan philosophies, had a lover and 2 illegitimate sons, before his mother’s prayers were answered and under the influence of St Ambrose of Milan, he finally became a Catholic Christian.
He is perhaps best known for his Confessions, which tell something of his life, of his love of God (they are much more tame than you might expect from the title), but he also wrote commentaries on Scripture, lots of letters, and a Rule for nuns, which was also followed by his clergy, since he wanted them to live in communities. The Rule of St Augustine is followed today by the different Augustinian Congregations, the Premonstratensians (Norbertines) and Dominicans, among others. We wish them all a very happy Feast!
