Feast of St. Augustine

Today, August 28, is the Feast Day of St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo in North Africa and one of the doctors of the Church. St. Augustine overcame strong heresies, practiced great poverty and supported the poor, preached very often and prayed with great fervor.

In 1851 four Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine (CSA) Sisters embarked on a two week voyage from France to Cleveland, Ohio. This began 156 years of service by hundreds of dynamic religious women responding to unmet needs of people in Ohio and South Carolina. Long before the American workplace widely accepted women in professional roles, these Sisters were directing major health care institutions, teaching in schools and developing new programs to provide needed human services. The first CSAs in America served as the first public health nurses in Cleveland, Ohio. Led by a mission to continue Christ’s healing ministry, the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine have built a legacy of caring that continues today.

The health and human service ministries of the CSA Congregation are now overseen by the Sisters of Charity Health System. The Health System embodies the values and philosophy of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and their mission to continue the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. The Health System provides oversight, leadership and strategic direction to more than 20 ministries in Ohio and South Carolina. In South Carolina there are five ministries: Providence Hospital, Providence Hospital Northeast, South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families, Healthy Learners and Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina.

The Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina continues the mission of the Sisters by strategically using resources to reduce poverty through action, advocacy and leadership.

St. Augustine's Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.

In Catholicism,  Feast Days, or Holy Days, are days which are celebrated in commemoration of the sacred events recorded in the history of our redemption, in memory of the Virgin Mother of Christ, or of His apostles, martyrs and saints, by special services and rest from work.  Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint. 


(This was post originally appeared on the Foundation's blog in August 2010.)