St Rita of Cascia High School - Cascian Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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power, other than Divine Grace as revealed in the life and death of Jesus Christ, which could bring peace to human weariness or pardon for human guilt. In God alone he found good. When the expression Augustinianism is used it points especially to the opinions of the great teacher which were evoked in the Pelagian controversy to which he de- voted the most powerful period of his life. Coelestius, a pupil of Pelagius, was ar- raigned before the Bishop of Carthage for the following heretical opinions: ll Adam's sin was purely personal, 25 Each man is born with powers as incorrupt as those of Adaln, and falls into sin under the force of temptation, 35 Children who die in infancy are saved without Baptism. When Augustine's attention was drawn to these views by the trial and excommunieation of Coelestius, he undertook the task of their refutation. Upon no subject did Augustine bestow more of his intel- lectual strength, and in no other way have his views so deeply and permanently affected the course of Christian thought. In addition to these controversial writings, which mark the great epochs of Augustine's life and ecclesiastical activity after his settlement as the Bishop of Hip- po, he was the author of other works, some of tl1e1n better known and even more im- ' portant. His greatest work, the most ela- borate and in some respects the most signi- ficant, is The City of God. It is designed S3 a great apologetic treatise in vindication of Christianity and the Christian Church-- the latter conceived as rising in the form of a new civic order on the crumbling ruins of the Roman Empire, but it is also, perhaps, the earliest contribution to the philosophy Page IO

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nate the monastic ideag but the association ot' monks in communities under a definite order and head received a special impulse both from Ambrose and his illustrious con- vert. The fame of such a convert in such a position soon spread, and invitations to a more active ecclesiastical life came to him from many quarters. He shrank from these responsibilities, but the Faith was on the march. After living for 3 years in retire- ment he journeyed to Hippo to see a friend who wished to ask him why he had devoted hilnself to a religious life. XVhile in Hippo, he was ordained to the presbyterate and in a few years was made coadju- tor to the Bishop and finally Bishop of the See. The time was one of almosl universal ecclesiastical and intellectual excite- ment and so powerful a lnental activity as was his was dynamoed in all direc- tions. He wrote condemnations of the Manichaeans. He was able, from his own experience, to give force to his arguments for the unity of creation and of spiri- tual life. Following his writings against the Manichaeans came those against the Donatists. This pa1'ty made great pretensions to purity of discipline, and rapidly rose to popularity. Augustine was strongly moved by the lawlessness ot'.the party, and launched a series of writings against -Dm them. The third controversy of which Augus- tine was a party was the most important, and the most intimately associated with his distinctive greatness as a theologian. Augus- tine was greatly interested in the anthropo- logical aspects of the Catholic idea of re- demption. He himself had been brought out of the darkness only by entering the depths of his soul and finding that there was no Page 9

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ol' hislory, as il is a reposilory lhroughoul his cherished lheologieal opinions. His syslemalie lrealise on lhe 'l'rinily, which exlends lo l'il'leen hooks, is his mosl im- porlanl dogmalie work. The closing years ol' lhe greal Bishop and Doelor were I'ull ol' sorrow. The Van- dals, who had been gradually enclosing lhe Roman empire, appeared before lhe gales ol' Hippo and laid siege lo il. Augnsline was ill wilh his lasl illness, and eould only pray for his fellow eilizens. He passed away during lhe progress ol' lhis siege, on lhe 28lh ol' Augusl, 430, al lhe age ol' seyenly-six, and was spared lhe in- dignily ol' seeing lhe eily in lhe hands ol' lhe enemy. The lfeasl ol' Sl. Augusline is one ol' major and mammolh caliber in lhe Calh- olie Church. The Caseian advises lhe Sl. liila ol' Caseia sludenls lo pray l'ailh- fully lo our Co-Palron for wisdom and grace lo lead holy, happy, and sneeessful lives. Lel lhe 28lh ol' Augusl be our day of graee and exullalion in honor ol' our greal Doelor, Sl. Augnslinel ln closing we would like lo say lhal Sl. Augusline does nol merely belong lo lhe Jflh and 5lh eenluries but lo all elernily. His words fourleen eenluries old are slill modern and up lo dale in lhis age ol' lhe alom. His lrealises on Grace, The Trinily, The Eucharist, his llily ol' God and his Confessions will echo on lhrough lhe eenluries a yihranl memorial ol' lhe Doelor ol' lhe l'niyersal Church, Sl. Augusline. l I f l l l , Page l l