As we celebrate the appointment of Pope Leo XIV and pray for the success of his pontificate as not only the first American but the first Augustinian to hold that title, the Archive would like to highlight the role of the Order of St. Augustine in the Archdiocese of Boston.

The Order of St. Augustine, whose members are commonly referred to as Augustinians and identified by the postnominal OSA, is a religious order guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ and St. Augustine of Hippo. Per the Rule of St. Augustine, "the main purpose for your having come together is to live harmoniously in your house, intent upon God, with one heart and one soul (Acts 4:32)." This is manifested through a variety of ministries, such as parishes, high schools, higher education, international missions, and volunteer care for the elderly, youth, and the sick. As noted in "Journeying Together: Congregations of Women and Men Religious in the Archdiocese of Boston, 1808-2008," "it is in the service of others that Augustinians serve God."

In 1818, Bishop Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus, Boston's first bishop, permitted an Irish Augustinian, Father Philip Lariscy, OSA, to minister within the Diocese of Boston, describing Father Lariscy as "strong and robust, zealous and pious" in a letter to Archbishop Marechal of Baltimore. This description proved to be true, and Father Lariscy became a prolific leader during his time in Boston. He served Catholic communities in Salem, Lynn, Lowell, and founded the first Catholic church in New Bedford. Spurred by Bishop Cheverus' wish for a proper burial site for his friend and colleague, Father Francis Matignon, Father Lariscy raised funds to open a cemetery in South Boston; a chapel followed shortly after in 1819. In recognition of Father Lariscy's efforts and success in fundraising, Bishop Cheverus named the chapel and cemetery after the founder of Lariscy's order. Having celebrated their bicentennial in 2018-2019, St. Augustine Chapel and Cemetery are the oldest surviving Roman Catholic church building and burial ground in Massachusetts, respectively.

Thirty years later, on Dec. 4, 1848, Bishop John Fitzpatrick noted in his journal that "Rev. James O'Donnell, OSA, who has lately been received into the diocese, is appointed . . . To the Mission of Lawrence City," to assist the aging Father Ffrench of Immaculate Conception Parish. Father O'Donnell would go on to open St. Mary Parish, marking the beginning of the Augustinians' presence in the Merrimack Valley. Augustinian friars would subsequently serve in numerous parochial and educational institutions in the region, embodying their Order's motto, "to go wherever needed." These included St. Laurence O'Toole, St. Mary of the Assumption, and Holy Rosary Parishes, all in Lawrence; St. Augustine Parish and Merrimack College in Andover and North Andover; and Austin Preparatory School in Reading. Many of the parishes served by the Augustinians in Lawrence began as mission churches for distinct ethnic communities, responding to the diverse needs of French, Polish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Lithuanian, and Hispanic immigrants. Today, roughly a dozen Augustinian priests are still active in the Merrimack Valley region, marking over 200 years of service in the Archdiocese of Boston.

Responding to a community's needs often meant more than just opening a new parish but also addressing the social issues of the time. Father Mariano Milanese, OSA, of Holy Rosary Parish in Lawrence, is a prime example of this. During the 1912 Bread and Roses Strike, when Italian textile mill workers advocated for adequate wages after a reduction in workweek length, Father Milanese solicited funds and gave homilies in support of the strike. His actions diverged from other priests' support of the mill owners, but when mill workers went on strike again in 1919, Father Milanese sided with his fellow clergy. Father Milanese may have been pressured to change his opinion or may have been busy with other projects. A parish history booklet held in the Archives notes that the Holy Rosary School opened on Nov. 23, 1919, largely spearheaded by Father Milanese's efforts.

The Augustinian presence in the Archdiocese of Boston was booming in the mid-20th century when a certain Robert Louis Prevost was born in Chicago. He joined the Midwest Augustinian novitiate in 1977, was ordained a priest in 1982, and received an honorary doctorate from Merrimack College in 2005. Though his assignments have taken him around the globe, Pope Leo XIV is guided by the Augustinian commitment to mission, teaching, and servant leadership. Through his extensive mission work and leadership positions in Rome, Pope Leo XIV brings "a love for community, a thirst for truth, and a shepherd's care for the people of God" to his pontificate, per the Midwest Augustinian Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel. May we bear witness to, and benefit from, Pope Leo's embodiment of this spirit as a self-professed "son of St. Augustine."



REBECCA MAITLAND IS AN ARCHIVIST OF THE ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON.