Villanova University Hosts 17th Annual St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service

VILLANOVA, Pa.—Villanova University will celebrate the 17th annual St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service on Saturday, October 1, with more than 4,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the University serving alongside local organizations and neighborhood agencies. Villanovans will serve at more than 100 service sites throughout the Greater Philadelphia area, along with hundreds of alumni serving at sites across the United States.

Aligning with Villanova’s Augustinian mission, this day of service exists to put ideals into action. Annually, Villanova students perform nearly 250,000 hours of service in communities locally, regionally, and globally. St. Thomas Day of Service was started by Rev. Donohue in 2006 upon his inauguration. The day honors Villanova’s patron saint—the 16th-century Augustinian bishop of Valencia, Spain—known for his great charity to the poor and marginalized.

“Serving others is central to our Augustinian Catholic mission and each fall, the St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service is an opportunity for Villanovans across the globe to address the needs of their communities,” said University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD. “I continue to be impressed with the community-wide participation in this event and look forward to another great year for this important Villanova tradition.”

One of the largest single-day service events in the region, the St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service builds upon the service performed throughout the year by the Villanova community. In addition to participating in weekly outreach opportunities at Philadelphia-area social service and charitable organizations, Villanovans participate in a wide variety of long-term mentoring and service break experiences, as well as ongoing Habitat for Humanity home-building projects. The event is organized by the Day of Service Committee, made up of 35 students and 10 staff and faculty members.

For more information regarding the 2022 St. Thomas of Villanova Celebration, visit www.villanova.edu/stvc.

About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.