Saint Augustine was a Shepherd, so he had a pastoral concern for his flock. He wrote a rule for religious men, the Praeceptum, as well as a rule for women. The latter was written in 423 for the occasion of a dispute of the religious who wanted to remove her superior. It is contained in his letter 211.
Paragraphs 1-4 seem to be a rebuke, whereas number 5-10 contains the precepts for the community. In these precepts, Augustine highlight common possession of goods, unanimity, prayer, and fasting.
The religious are not allowed to have anything of their own. They have all in common. The superior distributes food and clothes to each one according to their needs. For it is written in the Acts of the Apostles:
They had all things in common and distribution was made to each according to they need.
The religious come from both well-to-do families and poor families. They live together, nevertheless, this must not be an occasion of pride for neither the former nor the latter. What would be the use of renouncing the earthly belongings and giving them to the poor if this is a cause of pride? They have to live in unanimity, as they were only one soul.
Prayer has to be at the appointed time. They must avoid distractions because the heart and the lips have to work at once.
Finally, it is important that the religious follow fasting and abstinence from food and drink.
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