The Augustinians are Catholic religious priests and brothers following in the footsteps of Christ and Saint Augustine since 1244. We serve God and His people in diverse ministries as pastors, educators, and missionaries. Welcome to our Vocations website!

In any given Province of the Augustinian Order, there is a mixture of ordained (clerical) and non-ordained (lay) Augustinians. Commonly, the ordained men are called "Father" and the non-ordained "Brother." There are several hundred Augustinians in the United States and Canada. The majority of them are priests. The brothers live in community with the priests as equals in Augustinian life. They work in the apostolates of the Province alongside the priests. Some brothers are licensed teachers and administrators in our high schools. Others have worked as hospital chaplains or have served in our parishes as youth ministers, business managers, nurses, etc. Learn more at this link: https://www.beafriar.org/post/what-is-the-difference-between-priests-and-brothers

The process of becoming an Augustinian takes several years of discernment and prayer in order to hear what the Lord may be asking of an individual. Men in formation do not profess any vows until they have completed their Pre-Novitiate and Novitiate, a two-year period during which they are introduced to the Augustinian way of life and undergo a process of inner searching. At the close of the Novitiate, novices are asked to make their first step in professing vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience - "Temporary Vows". What makes these vows unique is that their span is only for one year. At the close of this year, each friar has the decision to either renew his vows for another year or let them expire and pursue another path in life. According the Constitution of our Order, temporary vows are to renewed at least three times and no more than nine before a friar make his “solemn” lifelong vows to the Order. The beauty of this structure is its allowance for greater freedom for each man to reflect interiorly on his call to Augustinian life. Read more here: https://www.beafriar.org/post/why-do-augustinians-take-temporary-vows

Poverty is the vow that call us to live simply. We depend on the generosity of our benefactors and commit to living in a community that provides for our material and financial support. The vow of poverty is an invitation to follow Jesus by renouncing earthly goods for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Chastity is a personal virtue – to love others appropriately as a single, celibate male. Chastity is an invitation to renounce marriage and sexual activity. It is also a deeply rewarding form of love. It’s not all sacrifice…. Augustinians share in the intimate and chaste love of family, friends, and those we serve in ministry.

Obedience is the vow to give respect and deference to our legitimate superiors. Our local superior is called a Prior, and he holds responsibility for the local community. Local communities are organized into Provinces, headed by a Provincial. The Provincial serves as the Ordinary, which means that the Provincial can assign where a friar lives and works.

The Rule of St. Augustine incorporates the basic principles of the Augustinian spirituality of religious community life. The Rule of St. Augustine was written around the year 400. You can read it in its entirety here: https://www.beafriar.org/the-rule-of-st-augustine

Curious about the Ordination of an Augustinian? Watch a video about it here: https://www.beafriar.org/post/what-is-it-like-to-be-an-ordained-as-an-augustinian-priest

The nine steps of Augustinian Formation are listed below, with more information and descriptions available here: https://www.beafriar.org/post/discover-the-9-steps-of-the-augustinian-formation-process 1) Discernment 2) Associate Program 3) Pre-Novitiate 4) Novitiate 5) Simple Vows 6) Pastoral Year 7) Solemn Vows 8) Ordination to the Diaconate 9) Ordination to the Priesthood

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