Catholic Saints — St. Augustine

Podcast: Catholic Saints
Host: Augustine Institute
Episode: St. Augustine
Date: August 28, 2025

Overview of the Episode

This episode dives deep into the life, significance, and enduring influence of St. Augustine on the Catholic Church, Christian thought, and the mission of the Augustine Institute itself. Hosted by Dr. Tim Gray (President, Augustine Institute) and Dr. Elizabeth Klein (Theology Professor, Augustine Institute), the conversation unpacks why St. Augustine was chosen as the Institute's patron saint and what makes his thought uniquely relevant to the mission of evangelization and Catholic education today. The discussion ranges from Augustine’s theological writings and teaching philosophy to the personal dimensions of his character—his ardor for God, passion for friendship, and approach to intellectual and spiritual community.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Why St. Augustine as Patron?

• Personal Connections: Dr. Klein shares her academic and personal connection to Augustine, from her dissertation to making Augustine her confirmation saint.
• Symbolism in Art: The tradition of depicting Augustine holding a flaming heart (his love for God) and books (his intellect and learning) encapsulates his model for the Institute: "He's loving God with all of his heart and, and with all of his mind." (A, 02:41)
• Alignment with Mission: His love for learning, scripture, and evangelization make Augustine an ideal role model for an institute dedicated to educating and equipping Catholics.

Augustine’s Foundational Works and Their Influence

De Doctrina Christiana (On Christian Doctrine)

• Practical Guide for Preachers: Written primarily for priests, emphasizing the importance of knowing, reading, and communicating scripture effectively.
• Pedagogical Insights: Augustine recommends imitation for those lacking rhetorical skills:

  “If you're not really good at speaking and you don't know how to do it, just copy someone who is—just steal a homily from a classical author, steal something from one of these great preachers.” (B, 03:41)

Catechismus Rudibus (On Instructing the Uninstructed)

• RCIA Antecedent: Augustine’s response to a deacon unsure how to teach the faith, provides a narrative approach—from creation to the present, emphasizing storytelling in catechesis.
• Story as Pedagogy:

  “You show this story of salvation is an ongoing story from Scripture to church history... Augustine, who's a master rhetor...understands that story is very important for stickiness, for marketing, for teaching, for eloquence.” (A, 07:13)

• Application Today: The Augustine Institute uses these principles by teaching the faith in narrative form, not just propositions.

City of God

• Worldview Engagement: Augustine juxtaposes the Roman narrative (e.g., Virgil’s Aeneid) and the biblical narrative to address cultural transformation.
• Reason for Patronage:

  “Augustine uses the narrative story of Rome and then the narrative story of Israel and Christianity to tell a worldview...to engage the worldview of the culture.” (A, 13:16)

• Equipping Today’s Catholics: The Institute aims to help students unpack and engage contemporary worldviews (e.g., relativism) the way Augustine addressed late Roman culture.

Storytelling and Narrative Theology

• Storytelling is at the heart of Augustine’s teaching method and has become integral to the Augustine Institute’s pedagogical approach. The narrative thread ties doctrine together, making teachings more relatable and memorable.

• “All of Scripture really unfolds from Genesis to Revelation as a story, as a narrative.” (A, 11:50)

• Augustine’s shift from dismissing Scripture’s rhetoric to embracing it as the most persuasive form is highlighted as a key conversion point.

  “He really is converted to the idea that God is the most persuasive speaker and that the Bible is the most persuasive rhetoric.” (B, 10:45)

Augustine: The Man and His Relevance

Modern Resonance of the Confessions

• Appeal to Modern Readers: The Confessions stands out as a pioneering work of autobiography, relatable to modern people—especially for its psychological depth and journey of faith.
• Restless Heart:

  “‘Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, for you have made us for yourself.’ … I was like, oh, well, it got me at page one.” (B, 18:13)

• Augustine’s personal life—his spiritual struggles, youthful ambitions, and conversion—makes him a saint who speaks across the ages.

Balancing Mind and Heart

• Integrated Model: Augustine embodies both rigorous intellect and passionate love for God and others.

  “Augustine is the bridge. He really is both. And he's unique... Augustine's unique. He is passionate, he is emotional, he is vibrant. He has a huge heart. But he also has a towering intellect.” (A, 21:07)

Friendship as Evangelization

• Centrality of Friendship:

  “Augustine puts a big emphasis on friendship and on spiritual friendship and on intellectual friendships. I think this is something we're realizing more and more...” (B, 22:03)

• Community at the Augustine Institute: The faculty’s commitment to friendship and communal pursuit of truth echoes Augustine’s ideals, promoting an environment of shared learning and spiritual growth.
• Model for Spiritual Friendship: The Confessions is full of friendship—Augustine’s conversion and later ministry are thoroughly communal. His idea of “ultimate leisure” is reading the Word of God in the company of friends (B, 25:01).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Learning and Evangelization:

  “If you're going to be a scripture scholar or a theologian. You got to read De Doctrina.” (A, 02:41)

• On Practical Preaching Advice:

  “Just copy someone who is just steal a homily from a classical author.” (B, 03:41)

• On Augustine’s Relevance:

  “Augustine is such a great saint...I think the Catechism of the Catholic Church, you know, the most quoted person in the Catechism outside of scripture is St. John Paul II...But the second most quoted person...is actually St. Augustine, and he's the first father quoted in the catechism.” (A & B, 17:25–18:12)

• On Storytelling:

  “Augustine taught about this idea of a narrazione...that God has a narrative story that he wants to include us into.” (A, 09:21)

• On Evangelizing a Divided Audience:

  “Augustine was really dealing with an audience that had sort of one foot in the Roman world and one foot in the Christian world. And... that's very much who Augustine was dealing with.” (B, 16:05)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:01] — Introduction, why Augustine is patron, Dr. Klein’s personal story
• [02:41] — Augustine’s symbolism: heart and books; learning and love for God
• [03:41] — De Doctrina Christiana and its impact on priestly formation
• [07:13] — Catechism Rudibus, teaching faith as narrative
• [10:45] — Augustine’s conversion to Scripture as the highest rhetoric
• [13:16] — City of God and engaging worldviews
• [18:13] — Modern appeal of Confessions; “Our hearts are restless...”
• [21:07] — Augustine’s balance of intellect and heart
• [22:03] — Augustine and the importance of friendship in evangelization
• [25:01] — Creating academic and spiritual community at the Institute
• [26:27] — Faculty collaboration and Augustine’s charism of friendship

Conclusion & Takeaways

The episode paints St. Augustine as a model for integrating faith, intellect, narrative, and community in service of Catholic education and evangelization. Augustine’s focus on telling the story of salvation, equipping believers to understand and teach the faith, and cultivating genuine spiritual friendships offers a blueprint not only for the Augustine Institute, but for Catholics everywhere grappling with how to live and share the Gospel today. The enduring relevance of Augustine’s writings—especially the Confessions, De Doctrina Christiana, and City of God—resonates deeply with modern seekers, making him a saint for the ages and a compelling patron for all committed to the New Evangelization.