Prayer of St.

Augustine
Breathe in me, O Holy
Spirit, that my thoughts
may all be holy. Act in
me, O Holy Spirit, that
my work, too, may be
holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy
Spirit, that I love but what
is holy. Strengthen me, O
Holy Spirit, to defend all
that is holy. Guard me,
then, O Holy Spirit, that I
always may be holy.
Amen.
Augustinian
Recollect
Spirituality
Exercises
Augustinian
- relating to the
several orders under
a rule ascribed to St.
Augustine.
Augustinian
Recollect- a mendicant
Catholic religious order of
friars and nuns. It is a
reformist offshoot from
the Augustinian hermit friars
and follows the same Rule of
St. Augustine.
Spirituality- it
means a way of life
that seeks a deep
sense of connection
with God, self, others
and creation.
Exercises-are creative
and flexible programme
of prayer centered on the
life of Christ.  Their
purpose is to help you
develop a deeper and
more active relationship
with God and the world.
COMMUNITY
LIFE:
THE
AUGUSTINIAN
EXPERIENCE
From his earliest
days St. Augustine
yearned for friends
and found great
strength and solace
in them.
His closest
friends were
Possidius and
Alypius who also
became saints.
St. Augustine had
no idea about
monastic life. It was
Ponticianus, who
told him about the
Egyptian monk
named Anthony.
On the year 386, St.
Augustine lived a kind
of community
experience in
Cassiciacum with his
mother, son, friends,
some relatives and
students.
When he returned
to Africa in Thagaste
or Tagaste (Souk
Ahras at present day
Algeria) that he
founded his first
community on 388.
They lived there
together in common,
fasting, praying,
performing good
works and meditating
constantly on the
Word of God.
Possidius remarked that
the style of life of this
new Augustinian
religious community
was modeled after the
early Christian
community of Apostolic
times.
St. Augustine’s desire
to follow the ideal of
the early Jerusalem
community is clearly
spelled out in that rule
of life, written for his
followers.
Acts 4:31-35
The place where they
were gathered shook as
they prayed. They were
filled with the Holy Spirit
and continued to speak
God’s Word with
confidence.
The community of believers
were of one heart and one
mind. None of them ever
claimed anything as his own;
rather, everything was held in
common. With power the
apostles bore witness to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great respect was paid to
them all; nor was there anyone
needy among them, for all who
owned property or houses
sold them and donated the
proceeds. They used to lay
them at the feet of the
apostles to be distributed to
every one according to his
need.