Letter 50060: To Father Aurelius, my most blessed lord and brother in the priesthood, most sincerely beloved — Augustine sends...

Letter 60 — To Aurelius of Carthage: Bad Monks Do Not Make Good Clergy (A.D. 401) To Father Aurelius, my most blessed lord and brother in the priesthood, most sincerely beloved — Augustine sends greetings in the Lord. I have received no letter from your Holiness since we parted, but I have now read your Grace's letter concerning Donatus and his brother, and I have long been uncertain how to reply. After turning the matter over repeatedly — asking what is truly for the good of those we serve in Christ — I keep arriving at the same conclusion: it is not right to give God's servants the impression that promotion to a better position comes more readily to those who have made themselves worse. Such a policy would make monks less careful to avoid falling. And a grievous wrong would be done to the clerical order if those who abandoned their monastic duty were chosen for the clergy — since our practice is to select for ordination only the most tested and proven men from among those who have remained faithful to their calling as monks. Otherwise we will be teaching the public to mock us with the saying that a bad monk makes a good cleric, just as they say a poor flute-player makes a good singer. It would be an intolerable disgrace if we encouraged monks in such fatal pride and branded the clerical order — to which we ourselves belong — with so grave a dishonor. For even a good monk is sometimes barely fit to become a good cleric: he may be well practiced in self-denial and yet lack the necessary learning, or be disqualified by some personal failing. I believe, however, that your Holiness may have understood these monks to have left the monastery with my consent, so that they could be useful to people in their home district. That was not the case. They left of their own accord; they deserted us of their own accord, in spite of all my efforts to dissuade them out of concern for their own wellbeing. As for Donatus: since he has now been ordained before any decision was reached in Council about his case, I leave the matter to your wisdom — perhaps his proud obstinacy has been humbled. As for his brother, who was the chief cause of Donatus leaving the monastery, I genuinely do not know what to write, since you know my mind on him already. I would not presume to oppose what seems best to one of your wisdom, rank, and holiness. My whole hope is that you will do whatever you judge most profitable for the members of the Church. Farewell in the Lord.

Letter 60 (A.D. 401) Please help support the mission of New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more — all for only $19.99... To Father Aurelius, My Lord Most Blessed, and Revered with Most Justly Merited Respect, My Brother in the Priesthood, Most Sincerely Beloved, Augustine Sends Greeting in the Lord. 1. I have received no letter from your Holiness since we parted; but I have now read a letter of your Grace concerning Donatus and his brother, and I have long hesitated as to the reply which I ought to give. After frequently reconsidering what is in such a case conducive to the welfare of those whom we serve in Christ, and seek to nourish in Him, nothing has occurred to me which would alter my opinion that it is not right to give occasion for God's servants to think that promotion to a better position is more readily given to those who have become worse. Such a rule would make monks less careful of falling, and a most grievous wrong would be done to the order of clergy, if those who have deserted their duty as monks be chosen to serve as clergy, seeing that our custom is to select for that office only the more tried and superior men of those who continue faithful to their calling as monks; unless, perchance, the common people are to be taught to joke at our expense, saying a bad monk makes a good clerk, as they are wont to say that a poor flute-player makes a good singer. It would be an intolerable calamity if we were to encourage the monks to such fatal pride, and were to consent to brand with so grievous disgrace the clerical order to which we ourselves belong: seeing that sometimes even a good monk is scarcely qualified to be a good clerk; for though he be proficient in self-denial, he may lack the necessary instruction, or be disqualified by some personal defect. 2. I believe, however, that your Holiness understood these monks to have left the monastery with my consent, in order that they might rather be useful to the people of their own district; but this was not the case: of their own accord they departed, of their own accord they deserted us, notwithstanding my resisting, from a regard to their welfare, to the utmost of my power. As to Donatus, seeing that he has obtained ordination before we could arrive at any decision in the Council as to his case, do as your wisdom may guide you; it may be that his proud obstinacy has been subdued. But as to his brother, who was the chief cause of Donatus leaving the monastery, I know not what to write, since you know what I think of him. I do not presume to oppose what may seem best to one of your wisdom, rank, and piety; and I hope with all my heart that you will do whatever you judge most profitable for the members of the Church.