Charism

Augustinian Charism is the life in community. From the customs of our Institute we get a profound community spirit. We are convinced that we must be "many bodies but not many souls; many bodies, but not many hearts in order to form the unique soul of Christ. The true meaning of the community life be fined in considering ourselves honours of the material and spiritual gives which God has given us. Living in a profound community life we always prefering the common interest over the personal ones and we working more willingly for the community for our brotheren than for ourselves.

The main purpose and bases of common life as we read in the rule of Saint Augustine to live together harmoniously intent upon God in onenes of mind and heart. What was essential to agastin when he gathered the first members of this community was capturing the spirit of the first Christians found in the acts of the apostles that they had or things in common and distribution was made to each one according to each one's need (4:32,35).

The Rule of Saint Augustine

1. Let us love God first and then our neighbor, because these are the precepts that were given to us as fundamental.

2. These then are the precepts that we prescribe to you established in the monastery.

3. The essential reason why you have gathered together is that you live unanimously in the house and have one soul and one heart reaching out towards God.

4. Do not say about anything: “It is mine”, but let everything be common between you.

5. Anyone who, as a secular person, possessed goods, once they enter the monastery, should willingly pass them on to the Community.

6. Whoever does not possess any, should not seek in the monastery what he could not have had outside.

7. Don’t let your head get high because you are associated with someone in the world you didn’t even dare to approach, but let your heart be high and not seek the vanities of the earth, so that the monasteries, if there the rich humble themselves and the poor they boast, do not begin to be useful to the rich and not to the poor.

8. On the other hand, those who believed they were worth something in the world should not disdain their brothers who came to that holy coexistence from a state of poverty. Indeed, they want to boast not of the dignity of rich parents but of coexistence with poor brothers.

9. All of you, therefore, live in one and the same accord and, within yourselves, mutually honor God whose temple you are.

10. Attend prayers with alacrity at the established hours and times.