Our Community Life
Saint Augustine of Hippo was caught up in the adventure of seeking God, and wished to share this experience with his friends who were of like mind. Friendship was second nature to Augustine.
Inspired by the early Christian community described in the Acts of the Apostles of the New Testament, Augustine and his friends decided to seek God together in community.
“The main reason for your coming together is to live in harmony in your house, intent upon God, in oneness of mind and heart.” (Rule of Augustine, Chapter 3)
The prologue of the Rule of Saint Augustine calls us to the Christian ideal of love: "Be of one mind and one heart towards God."
In Augustinian spirituality, love for God is experienced as love for one another. Where love for another person is present, God is present too. "Honour God in each other". We come to God through the love of one another. In the teaching of Augustine, human love has divine love running within it.
Life shared with others leads to friendship - the gift of loving and being loved. In a community following the spiritual tradition of Augustine, it is just as important to relate to one another as it is to pray with them. As we strive for union with others, therefore, we do so in a shared love for God.
For more information about our community life, see The hours of our day