A Three Yearly Check-up
Published: 20 September 2016
Augustinian Prior General receiving boquets at Abuja during the Intermediate Chapter
It was time for a scheduled check-up of the Order of St Augustine internationally!
The Order of St Augustine officially began in the year 1256, and throughout over nine centuries has regularly conduced international progress meetings to check its progress and to plan its future. In recent times this has involved General Chapters every six years, with what is called an Intermediate General Chapter (or popularly called a “Mid-Chapter”) halfway between the time of two successive Chapters. In all, there have been over 180 Chapters since 1256.
After the Mass at St Augustine’s High School in Abuja, Nigeria
Such a Mid-Chapter is happening during late September 2016. For the first time, the Chapter is taking place in Africa. (Likewise there has even been only one Chapter held in North America and one in South America.) The venue in September 2016 has been Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria. Nigeria contains an Augiustinian Province of its own, and has more Augustinians (almost all of them native-born) than any other African nation. The Augustinian secondary school in Abuja and its 450 co-educational day students has been visited by the Chapter members for the St Augustine’s High School opening Mass of their scholastic year.
A general session of the Augustinian Intermediate Chapter at Abuja.
The Chapter has over forty voting members, who have gathered in Abuja from most of the xx nations where the Order presently serves. One of the early decisions of the chapter was to agree to the elevation of the Augustinian region of India to the status of a Vicariate, which led to the regional superior from India becoming a voting member of the Chapter ex officio.
A comprehensive program of review and of forward planning was prepared ahead of time, and is now the structure of the meeting days.
The Augustinian international web site is www.osanet.org
