Pope to Augustinians: 'Peace Begins With What We Say and Do'

Vatican, August 30, 2025: On the Solemnity of Saint Augustine, Pope Leo XIV addressed the Augustinian Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova in the United States through a video message, urging all to listen to God’s loving voice, which alone brings peace.

The Pope expressed gratitude for the conferral of the Saint Augustine Medal and recalled with affection that the parish bears the name of Saint Thomas of Villanova, the Augustinian friar and bishop remembered as “father of the poor.”

“To be recognised as an Augustinian,” he said, “is an honour held dearly. So much of who I am I owe to the spirit and the teachings of Saint Augustine. I am grateful to all of you for the many ways your lives exhibit a deep commitment to the values of veritas, unitas, caritas.”

Reflecting on Augustine’s life, Pope Leo noted that the saint’s journey “was full of trial and error, like our own lives.” Yet, through grace, his mother Monica’s prayers, and the community’s witness, he discovered “the way to peace for his restless heart.”

The Pope stressed that Augustine’s witness calls every Christian to recognise their God-given gifts and to offer them “in loving service to God and to our neighbour.”

A long legacy of loving service

He highlighted the Augustinian presence in Philadelphia, home to one of the oldest Catholic communities in the United States, recalling the missionary zeal of Fathers Matthew Carr and John Rossiter, who served immigrants at the end of the 18th century. That same spirit, he said, “calls us today to carry on a legacy of loving service.”

“Jesus reminds us in the Gospel to love our neighbour,” he emphasised, encouraging all to see one another with Christ’s eyes and to rediscover our identity “as sisters and brothers in Him.”

Quoting Augustine’s words—"Do not have your heart in your ears, but your ears in your heart"—the Pope urged the Augustinian family to embrace a spirit of listening. “Before we speak, we must listen,” he said, noting that in a synodal Church, the call is to listen to the Holy Spirit, to one another, and especially to the voices of the poor.

He encouraged all to set aside the world’s noise and division to hear God’s loving voice, which alone brings peace. “When we hear that reassuring voice,” he said, “we can share it with the world as we strive to become one in Him.”

Pope Leo concluded by entrusting the Augustinian family to the Virgin Mary, Mother of Good Counsel, praying that “God bless you all and bring peace to your restless hearts, and help you continue to build a community of love, one in mind and heart, intent upon God.”

Courtesy: Vatican News

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