In The Footsteps of Augustine
Pilgrimage to Hippo and Other Sites of
St. Augustine's Africa
The experience of traveling to the North of Africa to the countries
of Tunisia and Algeria as a group of 50 pilgrims in the “Footsteps of
St. Augustine” was a real experience of prayer and blessing. The group
was made up of lay people and religious which included representatives
from 12 different countries. Alternating between Spanish, Italian and
English, the 
Augustinian
Jubilee prayer was recited together by the group as the journey began
each morning on the bus. At the end of each day’s journey Mass was celebrated
in thanksgiving for the blessings received that day.
The highlights of the various sites visited usually included a reading
from Augustine referring to the particular site or a reading of an excerpt
from a homily actually delivered at the site itself. Of all of the places
visited, some which stand out as exceptional are the ancient Basilica
of St. Cyprian where Augustine left Monica waiting in prayer as he left
for Rome from the port of Carthage, the amphitheatre where Felicity
and Perpetua experienced their martyrdom, the ancient ruins of Bulla
Regia, the ancient city of Thagaste (now Souk Ahras in Algeria), and
of course, the ancient ruins of the Basilica of Hippo (now the Algerian
town of Annaba).
Standing at the site where Augustine instructed the people of Hippo
with his homilies and witnessing the places where he celebrated the
sacraments of the Eucharist and Baptism gives one a sense of reverent
awe. Sitting on a now crumbled column which once supported the Basilica
of Hippo and listening to a homily that was delivered by Augustine himself
over 16 centuries ago, allows one to imagine the countless numbers who
experienced this great man in person and just how many lives were forever
touched because of his love for God and his leadership in the Church.
Walking through the ruins of the Basilica of St. Cyprian and viewing
from the top of the hill the beautiful coastline of Carthage, sparks
in one’s imagination the feelings in both Augustine and Monica on the
evening he clandestinely left for Rome. And traveling from site 
to
site, seeing the faces of the people who greeted and guided the group,
offered to each of the pilgrims a glimpse of what Augustine perhaps
could have looked like as a small boy in Thagaste, a teenager in Madaura,
a young man in Carthage, or a wise Bishop in Hippo.
The experience of walking in the footsteps of Augustine in some of
the important places of his formation as a young man and ministry as
a Bishop is one that will forever be held in a special place in the
hearts of each pilgrim. The beauty of the scenery and the people encountered
by the group made this journey a real pilgrimage of prayer and joy.
In a poem recited to the group by the Mayor of Souk Ahras (Thagsaste)
where an olive tree is singing in praise of Aurelius Augustine, this
international group of lay people and religious united in 
Augustine
were offered the command and the wish, “may this native son never be
forgotten.” May this pilgrimage be a moment which will forever be remembered
and cherished in the hearts of those who were blessed to have spent
a week journeying “in the Footsteps of Augustine.”
Reflection by Joe Farrell