Cardinal-elect, Bishop Mario Grech (left), with a group of Augustinians on a hike. After his midday address and the Angelus, on Sunday 25 October 2020, Pope Francis announced 13 new cardinals. The first to be named, Bishop Mario Grech (63), is an affiliate of the Augustinian Order and currently lives temporarily with the Prior General’s community in Rome. He was Bishop of Gozo (2005-19), Malta, and former President of the Maltese Bishops’ Conference (2013-16). He was recently

Originally published as an article entitled ‘The Future of Active Religious Approaching the Millennium’, in Catholic Gazette (April 1998) 4-6. The religious life appears to be attracting many vocations in the developing countries, where the Church is growing fastest, particularly in Africa and in parts of the Far East. Here, however, will concentrate on the situation closer to home, mainly in Britain, and the focus will be on the active or apostolic religious life, not the

In the heart of Rome, with St Peter’s Basilica and Square literally across the street, is the Augustinian International House of Studies, St Monica’s, where young men from Africa, Latin America, Asia and Europe are studying for the priesthood and religious life. Currently there are 9 students preparing for ordination and 11 newly-ordained priests doing further studies. Their countries are the Philippines, South Korea, Congo, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Tanzania, Brazil, Ecua