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Saint Augustine is our spiritual founder and we follow his 'Rule' and way of life as a guide for living in community. Since our foundation in 1244, we have always sought to live out the ideals of monastic life among the people and to serve their needs.
Today, we aim to help the Catholic faithful to grow in their faith and to become disciples.
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You can find us in Suffolk, London and Birmingham where we minister to active parish communities.
Born in 354 AD in Algeria, Africa, Saint Augustine continues to connect with people today through his inspiring writings and his compelling life story.
Patron of English Scottish Province of the Augustinians.
St. John Stone OSA (d. 1539) met martyrdom for his unwavering stand against King Henry VIII's claim as the supreme head of the Church in England. Little is known about John's early life and his activities as an Augustinian friar.
In 1534, the Parliament of England passed the Act of Supremacy, declaring King Henry VIII the supreme leader of the Church in England.
Four years later, a royal emissary arrived in Canterbury to shut down monasteries and secure the endorsement of every Friar, including those at Austin Friars, the Augustinian community where John resided. While all other Augustinian Friars complied and signed the Act, John steadfastly refused.
John's resistance led to his arrest and imprisonment in the Tower of London. During his incarceration, he found solace in prayer and received divine encouragement to stand firm in his faith, even if it meant facing death. This newfound strength sustained him.
In 1539, John was tried and convicted of treason. Shortly after Christmas that year, a solemn procession made its way through Canterbury, escorting John to a hill outside the city walls, where he was hanged, drawn, and quartered. His head and body were displayed at the city's entrance, as he was regarded as a traitor.
Historical records from Canterbury note an expenditure of two shillings and sixpence for "a half-ton of wood to build the gallows on which Friar Stone was brought to justice."
Pope Leo XIII beatified John Stone in 1886, and Pope Paul VI canonized him in 1970, along with 39 other English martyrs from the same era.
We seek for God and, once we have found God, the search begins all over again.
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The desert is often the arena in which God acts and in which God’s will is made clear.
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Every single thing that God has made, and continues to hold in being, is good.
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Friendship is a grace. It comes from God who is the author and giver of friendships.
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Saint Augustine famously said that we are restless until we rest in God and the discovery of his life is that true happiness can only be found in God.
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In the year 397, Augustine wrote a rule of common life for lay Christians where he shares a model for Christian community.
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Saint Augustine believed that prayer should constantly flow through the life of a Christian, expressing our constant desire for God.
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Saint Augustine’s Rule was based on the community life he lived both with his closest friends and with others. The Rule is a brief document which presents Augustine's vision of the values that underlie the life of a vibrant and holy religious community.
Written over four hundred years ago, the Rule endures because it expresses enduring principles and manifests an understanding of the human condition. It is not concerned with regulating small details, rather, Augustine’s Rule outlines what is essential for a religious life in community which is guided by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, in reading the Rule, one must occasionally make allowance for references to certain time-bound customs of Augustine's fifth-century culture.
The opening words of Saint Augustine's Rule give us direction: we are to be of one mind and heart on the way to God. We are travellers on pilgrimage together, wherein Christ is our constant companion, as well as our way and our goal.
Our journey is shaped by Augustine's own life experience and is characterised by three essential elements.
The constant search for God by means of a deep interior life.
The practical love of neighbour.
The constant pursuit of truth.
Augustinian spirituality is based on the life experience of Saint Augustine. He experienced God's presence and guidance through his relationships with others.
Therefore community and friendship are at the heart of Augustinian life. The community becomes a 'school of love' where we learn to put the needs of others before our own.
Curious about the life of the Augustinian Friars and want to experience it for yourself? Find out more about our come and see experience, a way to see our way of life up close and discern it for yourself.
The Augustinian Order was called into existence by Pope Innocent IV in 1244. His desire was that the various communities living an eremitical (hermit) life would come together to form one community.
This would be a mendicant community, which means that the friars would live out a combination of monastic discipline and active life of apostolic ministry.
Saint Augustine would be the Spiritual Father of this new religious order.
If you have any questions or enquiries about the Augustinian Friars in Britain and our ministry, please feel free to get in touch with us.