The Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary follows the Rule of St. Augustine, http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/ruleaug.html chosen by our Founder, St. Francis de Sales, when we were erected into a formal Order after several years as a simple congregation in Annecy, France.
St. Francis de Sales had much admiration for this Doctor of the Church and quoted him innumerable times in his own writings.
He most especially pointed to the Faith of St. Augustine, for which he struggled so much. St. Francis said of that faith in his Treatise on the Love of God, Book 2, Chapter 21,
“And the great S. Augustine solemnly pronounces these remarkable words: “But listen, O man! and understand. Art thou not drawn? pray, in order that thou mayest be drawn.”
In which words his intention is not to speak of the first movement which God works in us without us, when he excites and awakens us out of the sleep of sin: for how could we ask to be awakened seeing no man can pray before he be awakened? But he speaks of the resolution which we make to be faithful, for he considers that to believe is to be drawn, and therefore he admonishes such as have been excited to believe in God, to ask the gift of faith.
And indeed no one could better know the difficulties which ordinarily pass between the first movement God makes in us, and the perfect resolution of believing fully, than S. Augustine, who having had so great a variety of attractions by the words of the glorious S. Ambrose, by the conference he had with Politian, and a thousand other means, yet made so many delays and had so much difficulty in resolving. For more truly to him than to any other might have been applied that which he afterwards said to others: Alas! Augustine, if thou be not drawn, if thou believe not, pray that thou mayest be drawn, and that thou mayest believe.”
St. Augustine, intercede for us all in this Year of Faith!