Pope Leo XIV is first Augustinian pope. What is the Augustinian order?
The Catholic Church elected its first American-born pope on May 8.
Pope Leo XIV, born in Chicago, is also the first pope to be an Augustinian.
Here's what it means to be an Augustian.
Augustinians are members of the Order of St. Augustine, an international Catholic religious community of men and women. Augustinians serve God and His people in diverse ministries as pastors, educators and missionaries.
The Order of Saint Augustine was born juridically in March 1244, when Pope Innocent IV united various groups of hermits in service to the Universal Church as a community of Mendicant Friars.
The Order of St. Augustine, or Augustinian Order, is fundamentally based upon the teachings of Jesus Christ and later of Aurelius Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo. It was founded to live and promote the spirit of community as lived by the first Christian communities.
The Order of St. Augustine includes some 2,800 Augustinians in 47 countries throughout the world.
Pope Leo XIV is a Villanova graduate. Villanova University is an Augustinian institution. The Augustinians also sponsor Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, along with several high schools and many Catholic parishes.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Pope Leo XIV is first Augustinian pope. What is the Augustinian order?
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