The 188th General Chapter of the Order of Saint Augustine will open on 1 September at the Augustinianum in Rome. The gathering marks a handover after twelve years of leadership by the current Prior General, Father Alejandro Moral Antón, and brings the Order together for its highest deliberative assembly. “We have reached the 188th Chapter,” explained Father Pasquale di Lernia, Secretary General. “In modern times, the rhythm has become stable: an ordinary General Chapter, which includes elections, is held every six years; halfway through the term, a non-elective intermediate chapter is held to review progress.”
There are 83 capitulars with voting rights, representing 41 jurisdictions across approximately fifty countries. In some sessions, presidents of the federations of Augustinian nuns and lay members of the Augustinian family will take part without voting rights.
The Order currently numbers about 2,500 friars and approximately 700 nuns. Its historical base remains strong in Europe and the United States, but the most dynamic areas are Asia and Africa, while Latin America presents a relatively stable picture.
(Foto Benotti/SIR)
The history of the Order of Saint Augustine
The Order of Saint Augustine was founded in 1244 when groups of Tuscan hermits, gathered by Pope Innocent IV, adopted the Rule of the Bishop of Hippo. In 1256, with the “Chapter of the Grand Union” convened by Pope Alexander IV, other institutes were incorporated, confirming the Order’s full inclusion among the mendicant orders. Since then, the Augustinians have seen themselves as spiritual sons of Augustine, heirs to his way of life rooted in community, service to the Church, shared living, preaching, and study.
A chapter of responsibility and discernment
The assembly takes place at a particularly significant time for the universal Church, close to 14 September, when Pope Leo XIV – the first Augustinian Pontiff – will turn seventy. Father di Lernia cautions against projecting inappropriate expectations onto the Chapter’s agenda:
“The fact that the Pope comes from our Order will not directly influence the decisions. What it does increase is our sense of responsibility: our charism is service to the Church, and today that commitment demands renewed fidelity and pastoral discernment.”
He went on to explain that the Chapter is, above all, a work of discernment: “It is a time to review and prophetically interpret the ecclesial expectations before us: we ask how our apostolate responds to the needs of the faithful and what priorities the Spirit indicates for the next six years.” As for a possible audience, the Order submitted its request long ago, following the procedures of pontifical-right religious institutes. “At present, we have no confirmation regarding the date or format,” he clarified. It remains possible that the Pope may briefly join the proceedings.
The mandate of the Prior GeneralThe Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine is elected by the ordinary General Chapter and serves a six-year term. The Constitutions allow for re-election, but with a safeguard: if after the third ballot the required majority is not reached, the outgoing Prior General who is seeking immediate reappointment is excluded from further candidacy and may not receive any more votes. This ensures a healthy rotation of leadership and avoids automatic continuity in governance. There is, however, no cap on the total number of terms: a friar may return to leadership at a later time.
(Foto Agostiniani)
Towards the election of the new Prior General
All sessions – held at the Augustinianum – will lead to the election of the 98th Prior General, as well as the Council that will support him, including the appointments of the Secretary General and the General Bursar. The process requires qualified majorities in the initial rounds, followed, if needed, by a run-off between the leading candidates. By tradition, the Prior General may serve a maximum of two terms. The closing is scheduled for 18 September, though this remains provisional, as Father di Lernia points out. “The Chapter is the beating heart of our way of life,” he added. “It is the place where we recognise ourselves as a global body, recall with gratitude, read the challenges, and identify practical paths for proclaiming the Gospel and serving the People of God.”
In this perspective, the geography of the Order is not merely statistical data, but a working framework: European roots, new vitality from Asia and Africa, Latin American balance.
“Our task,” he concluded, “is to safeguard the Augustinian charism and, at the same time, to dare new and effective forms of ecclesial service: lived communion, genuine listening to communities, quality preaching, care for our fraternities and for the poor. The Chapter calls us to move from analysis to decisions, for the Spirit does not hand us a chronicle, but a course to follow.”
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