Will You Change the World?

This Advent, we joyfully await the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.  It’s the birthday of our Savior who came into the world to live for us, die for us, and rise for us.  It was not just another historical event; it was an event that changed the world forever.

A few centuries later, a man – later a saint – named Augustine made a conscious decision to follow Christ.  St. Augustine went on to change the world forever.  When you decide to support the Augustinians in prayer and with sacrifice (financial and otherwise), you decide to join in this unique legacy and change the world.

Is saying that you “change the world” an exaggeration?

We don’t believe so.  Consider that both Jesus and Augustine knew that the world was changed – indeed transformed – one person at a time.  The Midwest Augustinians have been transforming lives for 110 years.  Through ministries in parishes, schools, missions, or chaplaincies, the Augustinians serve thousands of men, women, and children in the name of Christ and St. Augustine.  As a mendicant religious order, we rely on the financial support of people like you to advance this life-changing mission.  In fact, we’ve been relying on supporters like you for nearly eight centuries.

Today, the Augustinians serve in four high schools and nine parishes in the United States and Canada, in addition to other institutions such as universities and hospitals.  Our Peruvian missions include nearly a dozen parishes, schools, and formation houses.

We’ve also seen great increases in vocations in recent years:  14 new vocations in the Midwest and 39 across the United States!

As a mendicant order of the Church, we must literally “beg” to fund our mission.  This means we receive no regular money from the Vatican, Catholic Charities, or the dioceses in which we serve.  Should you choose to donate, you can designate your gift to support Augustinian vocations, retired Augustinians, or our missions in Peru.

Additionally, if you make a contribution in honor or in memory of an Augustinian priest or brother, we will list your tribute in an upcoming issue of The Midwest Augustinian quarterly newsletter.

Please join the Augustinians one last time this year in changing the world for the better.  Pray for us, make a contribution, and spread the Augustinian values of Truth, Unity, and Love with your family and community this Christmas season.