St. Augustine (354-430), a theologian whose views and controversies shaped the course of Christianity in the West, was also a struggling North African pastor who had a flair for teaching and who meditated deeply on the complexities of the human heart. This study examines a little-known side of Augustine; his work as a teacher of candidates for baptism. It reconstructs the experience of the ancient catechumenate.

The portrait is relevant to all those involved with the RCIApastors, DREs, catechists, liturgists.