Pius Keller was an Augustinian

Augustinians

The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...

 friar

Friar

A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...

, a teacher, and a leader who revitalized The Order of Saint Augustine in Germany.

Life and times

Pius Keller was raised in a farm family. His family supported his studies at Münnerstadt and at the University of Würzburg

University of Würzburg

The University of Würzburg is a university in Würzburg, Germany, founded in 1402. The university is a member of the distinguished Coimbra Group.-Name:...

.

Pius entered a diocesan seminary in 1846, and was ordained a Priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

 in 1849. Within the same year, he became a teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

 in Münnerstadt and it wasn't until later that year, Pius became a Novice

Novice

A novice is a person or creature who is new to a field or activity. The term is most commonly applied in religion and sports.-Buddhism:In many Buddhist orders, a man or woman who intends to take ordination must first become a novice, adopting part of the monastic code indicated in the vinaya and...

 in the Order of Saint Augustine. For most of his adult life, he was a teacher. He influenced many young students to follow the basic principles of the Faith

Faith

Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...

 throughout their lives. The Order gave several positions of responsibility to Pius; he served several terms as Prior

Prior

Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...

 local superior in Münnerstadt, and was named Commissary General and Assistant General assistant world leader. It was in 1895 when he was chosen Prior Provincial regional superior of the newly restored Augustinian Province of Germany. Pius Keller reestablished community life and observance of the Rule and ideals of Saint Augustine. Under his leadership, the Order in Germany grew for when entered, the German Province had only two houses and eleven friars; there were nearly one-hundred friars in five monasteries by the year 1900. Pius spoke in his writings of his great love for history and for the Augustinian spiritual heritage. His remains are preserved at the monastery church in Münnerstadt since 1904.

Becoming a saint

The cause for Pius Keller's beatification and canonization began in 1934. However during World War II, most of the documents pertaining to his cause were destroyed. The process resumed in 1956. It wasn't until 1990, that the Congregation of Saints recognized the validity of his cause. Fernando Rojo Martínez, O.S.A., the Augustinian Postulator of Causes, oversees the progress of the cause today.

External links

• Augustinian Servant of God Pius Keller