Editing Augustinians (section)

===Augustinian Friars===
{{Main|Order of Saint Augustine}}
[[Image:GNM - Luther als Mönch.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Martin Luther]] (1483–1546), in the habit of the Augustinian Order. Luther was an Augustinian friar from 1505 until his [[excommunication]] in 1520. Luther would later renounce his religious vows and marry [[Katharina von Bora]] in 1525.]]
[[Image:Gregor Mendel Monk.jpg|thumb|200px|Abbot [[Gregor Mendel]] (1822–1884)]]
The 2008 Constitutions of the [[Order of Saint Augustine|Order of St. Augustine]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://augustinians.net/|title=Augustinians – Order of Saint Augustine|website=augustinians.net|access-date=2017-12-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707061702/https://augustinians.net/|archive-date=2019-07-07|url-status=dead}}</ref> states that the Order of Saint Augustine is composed of the following:
:a) friars, whether professed or novices, who are members of the various Circumscriptions of the Order (meaning a Province, Vicariate, or Delegation).
:b) the contemplative [[nuns]] belonging to the monasteries of the order.
:c) the members of the Augustinian Secular Fraternities, legitimately established by the Prior General.

In addition to these three branches, the Augustinian family also includes other groups:
a) [[religious institute]]s, both male and female, formally aggregated to the order by a decree of the Prior General (this would include the [[Augustinians of the Assumption]], the [[Sisters of St Rita|Sisters of St. Rita]], etc.); b) other groups of lay Augustinians; c) lay faithful affiliated to the Order.<ref>Rule and Constitutions, Order of St. Augustine, Rome, Augustinian General Curia, 2008</ref>

The Augustinian, or Austin, friars (OSA), are a [[mendicant orders|mendicant]] order.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://augustinians.net/index.php?page=charism|title=Charism – Order of Saint Augustine|website=augustinians.net|access-date=2017-12-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705053010/http://augustinians.net/index.php?page=charism|archive-date=2017-07-05|url-status=dead}}</ref> As consecrated religious, they pray the [[Liturgy of the Hours]] throughout the day. This [[Latin Church]] order, while a contemplative Order, differs from traditional monastic orders in three ways. 1) They do not take vows of stability, meaning that they can live in one house (called a friary or sometimes a monastery) typically for several years before being moved into a different community of the order. 2) They are engaged in [[apostle|apostolic]] activity, such as mission work, education, prison ministries, etc. The order is under the supervision of a [[Prior (ecclesiastical)|Prior]] General in Rome, and as an international order they are divided into various Provinces throughout the world, with each Province being led by a Prior Provincial. (3) As an order, they have a special commitment to [[corporate poverty]] as opposed to simply the poverty professed by the individual friar. While this is not currently legislated as it was in the origins of the order, this is to be a distinguishing mark of their lives as a community.

As consecrated religious, Augustinians profess the [[evangelical counsels]] of chastity, poverty, and obedience. They follow the Rule of St. Augustine, written sometime between 397 and 403 for a monastic community Augustine founded in [[Hippo Regius|Hippo]] (in modern day Algeria), and which takes as its inspiration the early Christian community described in the [[Acts of the Apostles]], particularly Acts 4:32: "The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common." (NAB).

By decree of the Holy See, the Augustinian Order was historically granted what was known as exempt status, which made it directly dependent on the Pope, meaning that bishops had no jurisdiction with regards to the internal affairs of the order. This is now expressed by saying that the order is an institute of pontifical right.<ref>See BONIFATIUS PP. VIII, Sacer Ordo vester, 21.I.1298; Inter sollicitudines nostras, 16.I.1302, en Bullarium, 44–45. 50–52. CLEMENS PP. VI, Ad fructus uberes, 19.VIII.1347, Ibid., 64–65. Lumen Gentium 45.</ref>

====History of the Friars====
The Augustinian friars originated after the older [[Canons Regular]]. The friars represented part of the [[Mendicant orders|mendicant movement]] of the 13th century, a new form of religious life which sought to bring the religious ideals of monastic life into an urban setting which allowed the religious to serve the needs of the people in an [[apostolate|apostolic]] capacity. At this time a number of [[eremitical]] groups lived in such diverse places as [[Tuscany]], [[Latium]], [[Umbria]], [[Liguria]], England, Switzerland, Germany, and France. The [[Fourth Council of the Lateran]] of 1215 issued the decree ''Ne nimium'' to organise these small groups of religious people by requiring them to live in community, to hold elective chapters, to be under obedience to a major superior and to adopt one of the Rules of community life that were approved by the Church.

=====Little Union=====
In 1243 the Tuscan hermits petitioned [[Pope Innocent IV]] to unite them all as one group. On 16 December 1243 Innocent IV issued the [[papal bull|bull]] ''Incumbit Nobis'', an essentially pastoral letter which, despite its brevity, basically served as the ''magna carta'' initiating the foundation of the Order as it is known today. This papal bull exhorted these hermits to adopt the ''Rule'' and way of life of [[Augustine of Hippo]], to profess this Augustinian manner of life in a way that they themselves would decide with regards to their specific charism and [[apostolate]], and to elect a Prior General. The bull also appointed Cardinal [[Riccardo Annibaldi]] as their [[Cardinal protector]]. The importance of this man in the foundation of the Order cannot be overstated.<ref>Rano, Balbino, ''Augustinian Origins, Charism, and Spirituality'', Villanova, Augustinian Press, 1994, 29</ref>

As decreed by the bull ''Praesentium Vobis'', the Tuscan hermits came together for a general chapter in March 1244, a chapter presided over by Cardinal Annibaldi. At this chapter the Order formally adopted the Rule of St. Augustine and determined to follow the Roman office with the [[Cistercian]] [[psalter]], and to hold [[triennial]] elections of the Prior General. The first Prior General was Friar Matthew, followed by Adjutus and Philip. In the papal bull ''Pia desideria'', issued on 31 March 1244, [[Pope Innocent IV]] formally approved the foundation of the Order.

=====Grand Union of 1256=====
In 1255 Innocent's successor, [[Pope Alexander IV]], issued the papal bull ''Cum Quaedam Salubria'' summoning all the various groups of Augustinian hermits and the [[Hermits of Saint William]] to send two representatives to Rome for a General Chapter, again to be held under the supervision of his nephew, Cardinal Annibaldi. During this chapter the following groups of hermits, ''inter alia'', were amalgamated to the Order, which up to then had only consisted of the groups of the Tuscan hermits (including the Hermits of the Holy Trinity):

* the Hermits of Saint William
* the Brittin (named after St. Blasius de Brittinis)
* the Bonites (named after [[John the Good (bishop of Milan)|St. John the Good]]) The [[Brothers of Penitence|Fratres Saccati]] in Italy, and some of the houses of the [[Poor Catholics]] united with the Bonites. By 1256 the Bonites possessed eleven monasteries.

At this Chapter Lanfranc Settala, the leader of the Bonites, was elected Prior General.<ref name="Heimbucher">{{Cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07281a.htm|first=Max |last=Heimbucher|title=Hermits of St. Augustine |encyclopedia=Catholic Encyclopedia |via=New Advent |access-date=2017-12-12}}</ref> The belted, black tunic of the Tuscan hermits was adopted as the common [[religious habit]], and the [[staff of office|walking sticks]] carried by the Bonites in keeping with eremitical tradition—and to distinguish themselves from those hermits who went around begging—ceased to be used.<ref>{{cite book|title=The other friars: the Carmelite, Augustinian, Sack and Pied Friars in the Middle Ages |last=Andrews |first=Frances|publisher=The Boydell Press|year=2006}}</ref> The 12-year-old religious Order of friars now consisted of 100 or more houses.

On 9 April 1256 Pope Alexander IV issued the bull ''Licet Ecclesiae catholicae'' (Bullarium Taurinense, 3rd ed., 635 sq.) which confirmed the integration of the Hermits of John the Good (Rule of St. Augustine, 1225), the Hermits of St. William (Rule of St. Benedict), the Hermits of Brettino (Rule of St. Augustine, 1228), the Hermits of Monte Favale (Rule of St. Benedict), other smaller congregations, and the Tuscan Hermits into what was officially called the Order of Hermits of Saint Augustine.<ref name=Heimbucher/> Almost from the beginning the term "hermits" became a misnomer for they ranked among the friars, and became the fourth of the mendicant orders. The observance and manner of life was mild relative to those times, meat being allowed four days in the week.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Augustinian Hermits|volume=2|page=911}}</ref>

In August 1256, a number of Williamite houses withdrew from the newly formed mendicant order and were allowed to continue as a separate congregation under the Benedictine rule.<ref name=Webster>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15644b.htm Webster, Douglas Raymund. "Williamites." ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''] Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 30 May 2021 {{PD-notice}}</ref><ref name=Heimbucher/>

The early years in the order's history featured a great devotion to learning, to study, to prayer, to service of the poor, and to defense of the Pope and the Church – a particular charism of the Order rooted in the fact that it is the only Order in the history of the Church to be founded directly by a Pope. In his work ''The Life of the Brothers'', the 14th-century Augustinian historian and friar Jordan of Saxony writes:"It is certain that in its modern state the Order is principally founded on spiritual works, those that pertain to the contemplative life. These are as follows: the singing of the divine office; the service of the altar; prayer; psalm singing; devotion to reading or study of sacred scripture; teaching and preaching the word of God; hearing confessions of the faithful; bringing about the salvation of souls by word and example.".<ref>[http://augnet.org/default.asp?ipageid=758&iparentid=757 "Jordan of Saxony", ''Augnet''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006133942/http://augnet.org/default.asp?ipageid=758&iparentid=757 |date=October 6, 2011}}</ref>

The Order expanded beyond Europe to the eastern Mediterranean, briefly acquiring a convent in Acre just prior to its conquest in 1291. In the middle of the fourteenth century, the Augustinian Friars acquired the large convent of San Salvatore in Venetian [[Heraklion]] ([[Kingdom of Candia|medieval Candia]]) where they attempted to use the cult of Nicholas of Tolentino to appeal to the local Greek-speaking population.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ilko |first1=Krisztina |title=Recovering the Augustinian Convent of San Salvatore in Venetian Candia |journal=Journal of Ecclesiastical History |date=2021 |volume=72 |issue=2 |pages=276–279 |doi=10.1017/S0022046920000755}}</ref> The building stood on Kornaros Square until its demolition in 1970.

The Augustinians count among their number over a dozen saints and numerous members declared [[Beatified|blessed]] by the Church.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.midwestaugustinians.org/saints-and-blesseds/ |title= Augustinian Saints, Blesseds, and Feast Days |website=Midwest Augustinians |access-date=2017-12-12}}
</ref> The Prior General [[Sebastiano Martinelli]] was the latest member of the order to be elevated to the cardinalate from 1901 to 1912.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

====Privileges of the order====
[[Ecclesiastical privileges]] were granted to the order almost from its beginning. [[Pope Alexander IV|Alexander IV]] freed the order from the jurisdiction of the bishops; Innocent VIII, in 1490, granted to the churches of the order indulgences such as can only be gained by making the Stations at Rome; Pope [[Pius V]] placed the Augustinians among the [[mendicant orders]] and ranked them next to the [[Carmelites]]. Since the end of the 13th century the [[sacristan]] of the [[Palace of the Vatican|Papal Palace]] was always to be an Augustinian friar, who would be [[ordained]] as a [[bishop]]. This privilege was ratified by [[Pope Alexander VI]] and granted to the Order forever by a Bull issued in 1497. The holder of the office was [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|Rector]] of the Vatican parish (of which the chapel of St. Paul is the parish church). To his office also belonged the duty of preserving in his [[oratory (worship)|oratory]] a [[Blessed Sacrament|consecrated Host]], which had to be renewed weekly and kept in readiness in case of the pope's illness, when it was the privilege of the papal sacristan to administer the last sacraments to the pope. The sacristan had always to accompany the pope when he traveled, and during a conclave it was he who celebrated [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]] and administered the [[sacraments]]. He lived at the Vatican with a sub-sacristan and three [[lay brother]]s of the order (cf. Rocca, "Chronhistoria de Apostolico Sacrario", Rome, 1605). Augustinian friars, as of 2009, still perform the duties of papal sacristans, but the appointment of an Augustinian bishop-sacristan lapsed under Pope John Paul II with the retirement of [[Petrus Canisius Van Lierde]] in 1991. In papal Rome the Augustinian friars always filled one of the Chairs of the [[University of Rome La Sapienza|Sapienza University]], and one of the [[consultor]]ships in the [[Congregation of Rites]].{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

====Discalced and Recollect friars====
[[Image:Megerle1.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Abraham a Sancta Clara]] (1644–1709)]]
The [[Discalced Augustinians]] were formed in 1588 in Italy as a reform movement of the Order and have their own constitutions, differing from those of the other Augustinians. The [[Augustinian Recollects]] developed in Spain in 1592 with the same goal. Currently, though, they are primarily found serving in [[pastoral care]].

====Organization of the order====
The Augustinian Hermits, while following the rule known as that of St. Augustine, are also subject to the Constitutions, first drawn up by Augustinus Novellus (d. 1309), Prior General of the order from 1298 to 1300, and by Clement of Osimo. A revision was made at Rome in 1895. The Constitutions were revised again and published at Rome in 1895, with additions in 1901 and 1907.<ref name=Heimbucher/> Today, the Order follows the Constitutions approved in the Ordinary General Chapter of 2007.

The government of the order is as follows: At the head is the [[Prior (ecclesiastical)|Prior]] General, elected every six years by the [[General Chapter]]. The Prior General is aided by six assistants and a secretary, also elected by the General Chapter. These form the ''Curia Generalitia''. Each province is governed by a [[Provincial superior|Prior Provincial]], each [[commissariat]] by a [[Commissary General]], each of the two congregations by a [[Vicar General]], and every monastery by a [[Prior (ecclesiastical)|Prior]] (only the Czech monastery of [[St Thomas's Abbey, Brno|Alt-Brunn]] in [[Moravia]] is under an [[abbot]]) and every college by a [[Rector (academia)|Rector]]. The members of the Order number both [[priest (Catholic Church)|priests]] and [[lay brother]]s. The Augustinians, like most religious orders, have a [[Cardinal Protector]].

The Augustinians follow the rule of St. Augustine which is divided into 8 chapters (purpose and basis of common life, prayer, moderation and self-denial, safeguarding chastity and fraternal correction, the care of community goods and treatment of sick, asking for pardon and forgiving others, governance and obedience, and observance of the rule).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.midwestaugustinians.org/roots-of-augustinian-spirituality/|title=Roots of Augustinian Spirituality|website=Midwest Augustinians|language=en-US|access-date=2017-12-12}}</ref> The Augustinians also use the charism or "gift from the Holy Spirit" to guide the communal life.

The choir and outdoor dress of the friars is a [[tunic]] of black woolen material, with long, wide sleeves, a black leather [[girdle]], and a large shoulder cape to which is attached a long, pointed hood reaching to the girdle. The indoor dress consists of a black [[tunic]] and [[scapular]], over which the shoulder cape is worn. In many monasteries, white was formerly the color worn in areas where there were no [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]]. In hot climates Augustinians tend to wear white habits as they are easily distinguishable with the Dominicans (i.e. without long scapular, rosary, etc.).

==== Charism of the Order of St. Augustine ====
"The foundation of Augustinian life is life in common,"<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20210604153616/https://www.theaugustinians.com/copy-of-spirituality "Charism", The Augustinians: Curia Generalizia Agostiniana]}}</ref> with a contemplative dimension.