OFFICE FOR
MISSION & MINISTRY
Villanova University is a Catholic institution of higher education, grounded in the teachings and values of St. Augustine.
St. Augustine believed in “life in common,” and the commitment to and nurturing of community defines the Villanova University experience. St. Augustine called us to journey together in search of truth, to live and learn in community, and to love with care for the common good. These values of TRUTH, UNITY and LOVE—VERITAS, UNITAS and CARITAS—inform all we do as a University. As an Augustinian Catholic community, we see the worth and dignity of all people, of all faiths and backgrounds, and we find unity not in uniformity, but in mutual respect and care—knowing that we learn best from and with each other.
The Office for Mission and Ministry provides students, faculty and staff members many opportunities to connect and engage with our Augustinian Catholic mission in ways that are personally meaningful—through prayer and worship, spirituality and community, education and advocacy, or service and social justice work. Together, we will, in the words of St. Augustine, “become what we are not yet.”
“Never be satisfied with what you already are, if you want to be what you are not yet.” St. Augustine, Sermon 169
NOURISHING THE SPIRIT: VERITAS
Villanova’s Augustinian heritage embraces the search for meaning at the heart of the human journey. We seek to deepen the identities and practices of people, inclusive of any faith tradition.
CATHOLIC WORSHIP
MULTIFAITH OUTREACH
HISPANIC/
LATINE MINISTRY
SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
“Understand so that you may believe. Believe so that you may understand.” St. Augustine, Sermon 43
BUILDING COMMUNITY: UNITAS
The commitment to and nurturing of community is core to the Villanova University experience. In the Augustinian tradition, we seek to build deeper connections and learn from and with each other. From opportunities for students to connect within their residence halls to faculty and staff retreats to group-specific ministries, all are welcomed and respected.
“Let all of you then live together in oneness of mind and heart, mutually honoring God in one another.”—The Rule of St. Augustine, Chapter 1.
LOVE IN ACTION: CARITAS
Flowing from our shared values is Villanova’s commitment to service and care for our world. The St. Thomas of Villanova Center for the Common Good serves as the on-campus hub for all community service and engaged learning for students, faculty and staff. In addition, the Centers for Faith & Learning and Peace & Justice Education as well as the Office for Sustainability provide opportunities for service, education and advocacy.
“The degree to which you are concerned for the common good rather than for your own, is the criterion by which you can judge how much progress you have made.” St. Augustine – Rule of St. Augustine, 7, 2
HERITAGE AND HISTORY
Villanova was founded in 1842 by the Order of Saint Augustine and our University values of Veritas, Unitas, Caritas—Truth, Unity, Love—are drawn from our Augustinian Catholic heritage.