Pope Leo XIV Calls Augustinians to Interior Life and Fresh Mission in Rome
A Holy Father urged a return to interior faith, a love-led formation of new religious, and a renewed missionary zeal as the Augustinian general chapter gathered in Rome.
Week of September 15–21, 2025
In Rome, a Homecoming for the Augustinians
Pope Leo XIV welcomed the participants of the general chapter of the Order of St. Augustine in a moment that felt “like coming home.” The Holy Father’s address centered on the love that St. Augustine placed at the core of his spiritual quest, inviting the Augustinians to draw strength from interiority rather than retreat from responsibility. The pope stressed that interiority is not a withdrawal but a pathway to renewed energy for the order’s mission, a way to “offer light to those the Lord places on our path.”
The audience also included expressions of gratitude to Father Alejandro Moral, OSA, for years of service, and a warm welcome to the newly elected prior general, Father Joseph Farrell, OSA. In describing the general chapter as an opportunity to reflect on gifts, challenges, and the current situation of the order, the Holy Father urged the community to cultivate a deep interior life that sustains a generous and effective public witness.
As the Augustinians moved into the chapter’s reflective season, the pope’s invitation was clear: a renewed fidelity to the religious life begins with returning to the source of one’s identity, so as to illuminate the path for others. “Returning to ourselves,” he said, “renews our spiritual and pastoral drive: We return to the source of religious life and consecration so that we may offer light to those the Lord places on our path.”
The Heart of Formation: Love, Vocations, and Formation
One of the most emphatic themes in the pope’s address was vocations and initial formation. He cautioned against reducing religious formation to a mere set of rules or passive habits. Instead, he insisted that love be at the center of everything, and that the Christian vocation—especially the religious vocation—arises when one perceives an attraction to something great, a love that nourishes and satisfies the heart. This emphasis placed beauty and desire at the heart of discernment rather than bare obligation.
The pope urged the Augustinians to help young people glimpse the beauty of the call and to love what they can become by embracing the vocation. “Vocation and formation are not predetermined realities: They are a spiritual adventure that involves a person’s entire history, and it is above all an adventure of love with God.”
In linking formation to love, he drew the thread between pastoral work and intellectual study, suggesting that true formation is not mere accumulation of information but a response to a mysterious and transformative love. The call is not simply to know more, but to become more—more open to God’s surprises and more generous in service to the world.
“Vocation and formation are not predetermined realities: They are a spiritual adventure that involves a person’s entire history, and it is above all an adventure of love with God.”
— Pope Leo XIV, Holy Father
“the Christian vocation, and in particular the religious vocation, is born only when one perceives the attraction of something great, of a love that can nourish and satisfy the heart.”
— Pope Leo XIV, Holy Father
Love as the Criterion: Knowledge, Humility, and Charity
The Holy Father offered a robust re-centering of theology and spiritual formation, insisting that knowledge of God cannot be achieved by reason alone or by theoretical information. Rather, one must permit oneself to be surprised by God’s greatness, to question the meaning of events, and to discover in them the traces of the Creator. Most of all, the relationship with God should be one of love that seeks to make God loved in return.
Extending that vision into daily life, he urged a posture of generosity and humility as the natural fruit of love. These two virtues—generosity and humility—are not burdens but manifestations of the divine charity itself, guiding the Augustinians to remain faithful to evangelical poverty and to serve with a simple, joyful witness wherever they are sent.
“In the knowledge of God, it is never possible to reach him only with our reason or with a set of theoretical information; it is, above all, a matter of allowing ourselves to be surprised by his greatness, of questioning ourselves and the meaning of events to discover in them the traces of the Creator, and above all, of loving him and making him loved.”
— Pope Leo XIV, Holy Father
“be generous and humble, two qualities that are born precisely from love, to have as their reference the ‘ineffable gift of divine charity,’ and to be ‘faithful to evangelical poverty.’”
— Pope Leo XIV, Holy Father
A Mission that Endures: Evangelization Across Time
The pope reminded listeners that the Augustinians have proclaimed the Gospel throughout the world since 1533, a historical thread the modern chapter should carry forward with renewed vigor. The missionary spirit must not be extinguished; it must be revived to meet the needs of today with humility, simple joy, and readiness to serve within the life of the communities to which the Augustinians are sent.
In calling for renewed missionary energy, the pope underscored the witness of a life lived in service: humble joy, availability to service, and active participation in the everyday life of the people. The mission is not a relic of the past but a living vocation that continues to illuminate the church’s work in every era.
“This missionary spirit must not be extinguished, because it is sorely needed today as well. I urge you to revive it, remembering that the evangelizing mission demands the witness of humble and simple joy, availability to service, and participation in the life of the people to whom we are sent.”
— Pope Leo XIV, Holy Father
These words carry the weight of decades of Augustinian witness, reminding the order that their call to evangelization remains a central, living vocation. The Augustinians’ history of proclamation across continents embodies a clear message for today: a faith that is deeply interior, lovingly formed, and courageously public in its proclamation.
As the week closes, the message from Rome resonates beyond a single address. It speaks to a church in need of interior renewal, to religious communities seeking to shape young hearts with love rather than mere compliance, and to a missionary church that must continually rekindle its zeal. The Augustinian family, grounded in the ancient call to holiness and service, is invited to a renewed rhythm of contemplation and outreach—one that blends a deep interior life with a bold, joyful witness to the Gospel.
In this moment, the Holy Father’s words remind us all that the deepest form of witness begins not with words alone but with a life shaped by love: love of God, love for the neighbor, and a readiness to accompany others on the journey of faith. The Augustinians’ ongoing meditation on vocation, formation, and mission offers a timely model for lay Catholics and religious alike: cultivate interiority, cherish the beauty of the call, and let humility and service mark every step outward into the world.
