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Our History
A Brief History of Tagaste Monastery, Suffern, New York.
Augustine of Hippo, Bishop, Doctor of the Church, religious founder and Saint, was a giant among men. He was born in 354 in the town of Tagaste in Roman North Africa. Throughout his long life, through his books, sermons and polemics Augustine became one of the best known and most influential men of the Christian world. Even today his many books are unequaled for their clarity of thought and the beauty of style with which they present different aspects of Catholic doctrine.
In the year 1254 the Order of St. Augustine (OSA) was founded. In 1588 after the Council of Toledo, Spain the Augustinian Recollection (OAR) came into being.
In 1944 the Province of St. Augustine (OAR) was established in the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.
In 1952 Tagaste Monastery was opened in Suffern, NY. The name Tagaste was chosen to honor our founding father St. Augustine and to memorialize his birthplace.
Since 1952 Tagaste Monastery has been a formation house or seminary for the Province of St. Augustine. The seminarians spend at least 6 years at Tagaste Monastery (this is after at least one year of postulancy at St. Augustine's Priory in Oxnard, CA. and one year noviciate in Monteagudo, Navarra, Spain.) During their time of study for the priesthood at Tagaste Monastery the seminarians attend classes at Immaculate Conception Seminary (Seton Hall University) West Orange, NJ.
The majority of our seminarians come from Southern California and the New York metropolitan area. However, in addition, we draw from the Hispanic and Filipino immigrant communities.
Over the past 52 years of preparing many young men for the priesthood we have been fortunate to have had one of our own become an auxiliary bishop of Sacramento, California (Bishop Alphonse Galegos, OAR) and in 2003 we had five (5) of our seminarians ordained to the priesthood.
Our area of service includes various parishes in Southern California and the New York metropolitan area as well as local convents, nursing homes, and Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern where we have served as hospital chaplains for 52 years.
All of this training and preparation requires a great expenditure for each of the years our seminarians are with us. The cost of education alone, (not including room, board, medical, etc.) is $20,000.00 per year per student.
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