In California, our province is blessed to not only be a province within the Order of St. Augustine, but also to be especially dedicated to St. Augustine. The official name of our province is "The Province of St. Augustine in California" and so the end of August is always a time for great celebration and joy as the Feast of St. Monica and the Solemnity of St. Augustine is honored. The official celebration of the province was held on the evening of Sunday, August 26th, with a special evening prayer service in the St. Augustine Monastery Chapel in San Diego, California. Very Rev. Kevin Mullins, OSA, led the ceremony, which honored those living and deceased who have labored tirelessly for many
After Br. Emmanuel "Manny" Isaac, OSA professed his first vows at the beginning of the month, he was afforded some vacation time to relax and spend some time with the friars in California. Br. Manny made the most of his R&R time by integrating himself into the St. Augustine Monastery community in San Diego. He fully participated in community prayer, Mass, and was able to socialize with the friars whom he had not seen since he left the the novitiate a year earlier. Now, Br. Manny will spend some time in Chicago under the leadership of the formation director of the friary there, Fr. Joseph Mostardi, OSA, who will help him prepare to begin intensive theological study at Catholic Theological Un
Bishop Robert Barron, an internationally renowned Catholic evangelist as well as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, celebrated a Mass on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary which opened the school year at Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, CA. In his homily, Bishop Barron exhorted the students to reflect upon the Blessed Virgin Mary as one who watches and guides us, who is united with us on our journey. He shared that in the morning he was praying the Rosary, and that in praying the rosary he was not praying to a woman who merely lived 2,000 years ago, but prayed to one whom is present in a deeper and more real way than ever before. Bishop Barron was joined by Fr. Ke
Deacon Maxime Villeneuve, OSA, is leaving for a five day retreat at Prince of Peace Abbey in Oceanside, CA to prepare for his ordination to the priesthood this December. The Church requires that any candidate for ordination to the diaconate, priesthood, or episcopacy go on retreat for no less than five days before they can be ordained. This allows time for the candidate to reflect on the ministry that they will be ordained to, and how God is calling them in their lives. "I look forward to having some time away and see how God is calling me to serve His people as a priest in ministry," Deacon Max reflected, "This retreat will allow me the time to 'breathe in' before 'jumping in'". Please pra
A First Profession of Vows Mass was celebrated at the Augustinian parish of St. Jude's in New Lennox, IL as Br. Emmanuel Isaac, OSA professed his vows as an Augustinian friar. He was joined by two others from his novitiate class from the Midwest province, Fr. Raymond Flores, OSA and Br. Spencer Thomas, OSA. Fr. Kevin Mullins, OSA, prior provincial, received Br. Manny's vows on behalf of Fr. Alejandro Moral Anton, the prior general of the Augustinian Order. Photos from the Mass can be found HERE. The Vow Mass was the culminating event of the 2018 FANA formation gathering, which saw men in formation from the four North American provinces gather together at Lewis University for a series of wo
On Wednesday, Aug 1st, 2018, OMGC community members and Augustinian Seculars (3rd Order) Jen and Jason Coito presented on the topic of discernment at a Theology on Tap talk in the Los Angeles area. Theology on Tap is a popular nationwide movement in which both priests and lay ministers are invited to give talks on various topics that would be of interest to a young adult audience, usually in a fun and relaxed restaurant setting. The Coito's live out an active faith life, Jason the Director for Young Adult Ministries for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and is also a product of Augustinian education- having graduated from St. Augustine High School in San Diego. His wife Jen works with the