Janine Morett – An Augustinian Volunteer in South AfricaAs I pull onto the street where 1000 Hills Community Helpers is and then down the driveway, I am welcomed by people of all ages walking towards the Center.  There are kids who will attend the school, adults who will be going to the clinic and others who are there for a meal or just to be there.  The center itself does a lot of different things from a baby clinic on Tuesdays, an open clinic on Thursdays, a dayc... [More]

By John Lydon, OSA, Pastor The Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Pacasmayo held a large celebration to mark the Golden Jubilee of the canonization of St. Martin de Porres, called affectionately in Peru "Friar Broom" since he is always depicted with a broom in his hand. On May 6, 1962 Pope John XXIII canonized him, calling him "Martin of Charity" and proclaiming him Patron of Social Justice. For the values of peace, humility and service that excelled in his life, his cult has spread through... [More]

By Kellie Kozel (Augustinian Volunteer presently in South Africa) So far South Africa seems to be a place of extremes. All of last week there were thunderstorms and high-speed winds and this week it has been sweat-til-you-drop hot. In the first month our car was stalled more than it was running, and now we could take on Mario Andretti in a race down Inanda Road (or at least we like to think so). One day you can spend the whole morning laughing hysterically with a patient as you muddle through... [More]

By Kevin Abdo It is also in the work space that this hospitality is continually shown to complete strangers. It is this gesture that truly astounds me daily. I come into the Respite Unit on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and see this in action. Care givers showing total love and compassion to a patient they know little to nothing about. When driving patients to and from clinics I am given constant smiles, praises, and “Thank You’s!” It is also simply driving around various towns and cities t... [More]

Dear Friends of the Augustinian Missions: The Lord is Risen, He truly is. This is the basis of our Christian faith that He who was born of the Virgin Mary, who lived, served, was crucified has now risen from the dead. His resurrection affirms all that He taught, all that He said, all that He did while on earth. The resurrection is like God giving the divine affirmation of Jesus and his life and ministry. Without His death and resurrection where would our faith be? This season is central to ou... [More]

 When people think of Augustinians serving in the missions they immediately think of the friars. They are not the only ones who serve in this beautiful ministry. Augustinian Sisters serve in the missions throughout the world. They can be found on almost every continent, serving in so many and varied ministries. At times the sisters and friars serve in the same mission and many times the sisters serve in their own independent missions. The sisters originate from countries throughout the world. ... [More]

 Often, when we have an image of the foreign missions, we think of parish ministry. For the Augustinian Friars their first ministry in a foreign land was the establishment of a parish. Over time, the ministry has expanded beyond the parish structure to include the education ministry. The schools are part of a parish structure.   When the first American friars began a mission in the late 1950s in the city of Nagasaki, Japan, they began the equivalent of an elementary school. This school continu... [More]

By Fr. Frank Doyle, O.S.A.   In our South African mission, St. Leo’s School continues to grow. We now have almost 700 children! Though we continue to do good work here, the personal needs of the children continue to grow and at times overwhelm our personnel resources.   Sadly, our school Principal's office was broken into in November 2010, and her computer, printer, and fax machine were all stolen. On top of that, all of the food stored there for the children was stolen! When I asked... [More]

By Jamie Zwijack, An Augustinian Volunteer in Chulucanas, Peru There have been so many interesting, fun, frustrating, funny, heartwarming, weird, blessed, and beautiful things that have happened since we've arrived in Chulucanas, Peru.  One of the most amusing things that has been happening to me lately is the way that people try to make me feel welcome by trying to speak English to me.  They try really hard but I don't think it always comes out quite like they'd like it to.  There ... [More]

Dear Friends of the Augustinian Missions:The Gospel on the First Sunday of Lent tells us, “The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan.” (Mark 1:12). The desert is the usual image for the season of Lent. In this account Jesus encounters Satan but he is not alone; the Spirit of God is with him as he experiences the struggles in his interior desert with the Devil.  Jesus emerges from the desert proclaiming the message ... [More]