Asia-Pacific Prospects 2015
Published: 17 August 2015
The Order of St Augustine has operated in the Asia-Pacific continuously for 450 years since 1565, and also first reached the Indian sub-continent in 1572.
A meeting at Sydney, Australia in August 2015 brought together the Augustinian leaders from the Philippines, India, Japan, Korea and Australia, but with the leader in Indonesia was unable to attend. While in the Sydney, the international guests took the opportunity of visiting Augustinian parishes and a school in the area.
Contemporary Augustinians in the Philippines, India, Korea and Japan.
Topics on the agenda focused both on Augustinian community life and ministry. Very much discussed in the former category was the renewal of the community life of the Augustinians, plus the initial formation of present and future candidates of the Order. Under the category of ministry, a major focus was the goal of greater co-ordination and regional cooperation within the Order in the Asia-Pacific.
The regional leaders look towards the future with hope. With Augustinian regional numbers increasing, there is a desire to take the Order to further nations in the region.
The Augustinian friars in the Asia-Pacific are very predominantly natives of the countries in which they live and work, with a few remaining friars who have remained in the Asia-Pacific since being sent from Europe – especially from Spain, the Netherlands and Ireland – many years ago.
There are a number of monasteries of Augustinian contemplative nuns in the Philippines, and also numerous autonomous congregations of active Religious sisters that are affiliated with the Order of St Augustine. These congregations maintain their own extensive range of ministries, have a personnel total that far exceeds that of the Augustinian friars.
On a wider level the leaders of the Order from over forty nations meet in Rome every three years, so that cross-regional cooperation can be discussed, reviewed and fostered.
