Born in Berlin in 1923, Gregory Baum was a former Augustinian friar, theologian, and author of the first draft of the Second Vatican Council Declaration on Non-Christian Religions, one of its ground-breaking documents. He left the Order and the priesthood in his early forties and continued a career as a theologian in his adopted country, Canada. He died on 18 October 2017, aged 94. His obituary appeared in many newspapers and periodicals in the English-speaking world. He desc

Sixteen Augustinians, nine friars and seven sisters, are currently doing an eleven-week renewal course in Rome (22 January-7 April 2018), organised by the Institute of Augustinian Spirituality, an arm of the Curia that promotes the spirituality of the Order. The course comprises nine weeks of lectures followed by a pilgrimage to Augustinian sites at Lecceto, Montefalco and Cascia, and a retreat in San Gimignano, over two weeks. I was invited to give them a one-week seminar (t

1881 – 1939, Martyr, feast 7 February A 20th century martyr, Anselm was born in Buenavista de Valdavia, Palencia in Spain. He joined the Augustinian Order, being professed in Valladolid in 1897, and ordained priest in 1904. Having studied in Germany he was engaged in Augustinian priestly formation, being appointed prior of the community. In 1932 he was elected Provincial of the province of the Holy Name of Jesus of the Philippines. He devoted himself to this office wit

25 Nov. 1774 – 2 Feb. 1840 The Bellesini community in Hammersmith has, as its patron, Blessed Stephen. He was born in Trento, northern Italy, and entered the Augustinian Order at the age 20, spending his years of formation in Bologna and Rome until he was ordained priest in Trento, where he ministered as a preacher in the community’s small chapel. Three years later, 1810, religious houses were suppressed by the local Government and his community dispersed. Stephen went