Photo via Augustinian Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova / Facebook
CV NEWS FEED // The recent election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as Pope Leo XIV marks the first time in the history of the Catholic Church that the Vicar of Christ comes from the Order of St. Augustine.
Pope Leo XIV, a native of Chicago, entered the Augustinian order in 1977 and was ordained a priest in 1982. He served for more than 20 years in Peru as a missionary, seminary rector, and eventually bishop. In 2001, he was elected prior general of the Augustinians, a role he held for two terms, guiding the order worldwide with a focus on unity and charity — hallmarks of Augustinian spirituality.
In his very first address as pope, he said: “I am an Augustinian, a son of Saint Augustine, who once said, ‘With you I am a Christian, and for you I am a bishop.’ In this sense, all of us can journey together toward the homeland that God has prepared for us.”
The Augustinian order traces its origins to 13th-century Tuscany, where groups of hermits came together in search of a shared religious life. Under the guidance of Pope Innocent IV, they adopted the Rule of St. Augustine and gradually formed a unified community.
While initially contemplative, the order soon embraced both prayer and pastoral ministry, growing rapidly and spreading across Europe and into missionary territories. Augustinians became known for their preaching, teaching, and commitment to community life rooted in the love of God and the pursuit of truth.
Today, the Augustinians minister in approximately 50 countries.
Pope Leo XIV’s early actions appeared to reflect his Augustinian roots. During his first public appearance as pope, he wore a pectoral cross containing relics of St. Augustine and his devout mother, St. Monica.
In a 2023 interview with the Augustinian Order, then-Cardinal Prevost said that St. Augustine’s writings “touch every part of life, and help us to live in communion. Unity and communion are essential charisms of the life of the Order and a fundamental part of understanding what the Church is and what it means to be in it.”
In a 2005 reflection on leadership and Augustinian spirituality, Pope Leo, then prior general of the Order of St. Augustine, emphasized that authentic leadership begins with humility.
“A true Christian leader, a true Augustinian leader, must first and foremost be a faithful follower of Christ,” he wrote. “And Christ has shown us the way, which is one of humility. Leading in any other way runs the grave danger of going on the wrong path — making the true goal ‘my ideas,’ ‘my plans,’ ‘my personal glory.’”
He also noted in his reflection that leadership in the Augustinian tradition involves fostering communion among those one is called to serve, and that a “leader is a brother or sister among brothers and sisters.”
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