Clare Priory Friends of Augustine

Lay Groups - England & Scotland

Rome Lay Conference 2006

National Conference: Boarbank Hall Jan 2008

New:-

At a Parish in Council meeting in December 1999 it was agreed Clare Priory would form its own local group of Friends of Augustine. The first meeting of the Friends was March 23rd 2000.

Following the spirit of the meetings held in Rome, (16th - 21st July 1999), and the subsequent meeting held in Clare in the same year, it was agreed at the first meeting the Clare group would:

Study Augustine in various ways - history, teachings and writings, principles and basis of his thoughts and life.

Become familiar with the prayer life of Augustine and to learn about prayer for our own lives.

To pray upon, reflect upon and study scripture.

Experience a close encounter with God

Learn to speak in prayer from our hearts; "our inner self"

To find ways to grow - tapes, CD's and books etc.

Activities:

The year 2000 continued with talks on various aspects of Augustine’s life, given by members of the Priory Community. Then after the Augustinian Spirituality weekend at Hinsley Hall, Leeds, 1st to 3rd September 2000, a collection of talks was circulated and different Friends presented their understanding of the talks at the following monthly meetings. These meeting are held in the Library at Clare Priory on the last Thursday of each month commencing at 07.30 pm.

In 2003, we had from Hinsley Hall a collection of documents entitled "Ideas for Reflection and Discussion" and these then formed the basis of (the then) current monthly meetings.

In January 2004 a prayer group started, (meeting on the first and third Thursdays of each month), to pray, in particular for the sick in our Parish, for the local Prison, for our community and our Augustinian Order. Quiet contemplative prayer to find God within us is encouraged.

At the end of May, 2004, we joined the National pilgrimage of the Friends to San Gimignano staying at the Convento de S. Agostino.

In 2005 we read and reflected upon Augustine’s Homilies on the First Letter of John. The version we are using is a translation by John Leinenweber OSB.

26/01/2006. We have completed studying St Augustine's Homilies on St John's First Letter after 9 meetings. It was studied in depth and the command to Love our Neighbour was brought home to us. This should be the "norm" but there is much prejudice around us to influence us otherwise and an inbuilt preference for one's own preservation. We still need to move from being self-centred to God centred.

Following St John’s Letters and after a Lentern break we studied the Rule of St Augustine. Read it here on this web site.

All are welcome please come along if you can. Venue: The library at Clare Priory 7.30pm

May 2006 saw the success of the Pilgrimage to San Gimignano. 22 parishioners and two Priests from Clare spent a week at the Convento. We had day trips to Florence and our Augustinian Sisters at Lecceto. See photos on this web site.

The Future

In July 2006 two lay members from our group went with Fr Bernard Rolls, Prior, with other representatives from our Province to Rome for a St Augustinian Laity conference, (visit our News Page. This conference had major proposals on the way forward for laity and has been discussed in our monthly meetings since. At our last meeting we set up study groups on various ways forward. Their reporting's will be published as they become available.