On November 13, we celebrate the birthday of St. Augustine as well as the Feast of All Augustinian Saints. We invite you first, to celebrate this day by contemplating the words with which St. Augustine himself celebrated his own first moments, in Book I of his Confessions:
“I do not know where I came from. But this I know, that I was welcomed by the tender care your mercy provided for me, for so I have been told by the parents who gave me life according to the flesh, those parents through whose begetting and bearing you formed me within time, although I do not remember it myself. The comforts of human milk were waiting for me, but my mother and my nurses did not fill their own breasts; rather you gave me an infant’s nourishment through them in accordance with your plan, from the riches deeply hidden in creation. You restrained me from craving more than you provided, and inspired in those who nurtured me the will to give me what you were giving them."
Secondly, we invite you to share a moment of reflection upon this painting that hangs in the chapel of our Novitiate House in Racine, WI. In the upper portion of the painting, Christ is surrounded by the symbols of the four Evangelists. In the lower portion, you will see (L to R) St. Rita of Cascia, St. Thomas of Villanova, St. Nicholas of Tolentine, Bl. Frederick of Regensburg (keeling), St. Monica, and St. Augustine.
Learn more about what it means to be an Augustinian by checking out our other blog posts here