The head of the order Fr Alejandro Moral O.S.A., visited our five priories in the U.K. in early April. He encouraged us in our lives and work as Augustinians and reminded us of our global vision and values; our greatest gift which we can offer the Church is community. He was impressed with the hospitable and friendly atmosphere he encountered in all our communities and, in between the serious stuff, he even managed to enjoy a couple of games involving his favourite teams on tv: Liverpool and Atletico Madrid!

2 weeks to go! Hammersmith hosts Ordinations to the Priesthood In two weeks time, Saturday 5 May, Deacon Gladson Dabre, O.S.A. and Deacon Arthur Bolivar, O.S.A. will be ordained by Bishop Michael Campbell O.S.A. to the priesthood. This is a special moment in the lives of both Deacons Gladson & Arthur, the Augustinian Order in Great Britain and the parish in Hammersmith, since St Augustine’s will “host” this important service. You’re invited! The Ordination Mass begins at 11 am and all are invited; representatives from the Augustinian parishes and friars from across the UK and other parts of the world will be present too.

Some believe that Pope Francis is leading the Catholic Church over a cliff edge, the subject of this interesting and nuanced, if ultimately misguided, book. Douthat’s credentials as a New York Times columnist mean that this is no traditionalist diatribe against the excesses of a ‘liberal’ pope. He carefully explores many sides of the argument, managing somehow, with the skill of a seasoned journalist, to sound both apocalyptic and non-dogmatic at the same time. His principal fear seems to be that Pope Francis’s project of a more merciful church will ultimately undermine 2,000 years of Catholic tradition because of its ambiguity and lack of theological precision. At the end of the book, Dou

Villanova University is an Augustinian campus near Philadelphia. It is in the top ten of Catholic universities in the United States and recently won the nationwide college basketball championship for the third time. The Office for Mission and Ministry at the university hosted a conference, 12-15 April, to commemorate the first five years of Pope Francis’s papacy and to assess its impact. This timely event, the first of its kind at an American Catholic university, is significant, as there is considerable opposition to Pope Francis among conservative Catholics in the US. One of the aims of the conference, therefore, was to explain Pope Francis to his critics and to call for dialogue between

Join us for the annual pilgrimage to this wonderful historic shrine, the first home of the Augustinian Friars in Britain. Located in relaxing and picturesque grounds in the Suffolk village of Clare. Clare priory is a place of great healing and tranquillity established in 1248 and welcomes everybody. The wonderful shrine is dedicated to our Mother of Good Counsel and the day is always enjoyable. Come along and bring a picnic! Tea/coffee and homemade cakes will be available. The head of the Augustinians in Britain, Fr Robert Marsh, will be the principal celebrant and we will be joined by Augustinians from our five parishes in the UK. Tickets are available by contacting Angela on 07432650463 (a

The AJ can reveal all 93 of the schemes in the running for this year’s RIBA London regional awards. Read the article here.