The Augustinian Values Institute: Preserving a Legacy of Augustinian Education

A concern for Catholic educators is how to keep Catholic schools viable and healthy in a milieu of diminishing numbers of religious as well as a very complex and changing world. This article addresses the Augustinians' response to the challenge to keep the Order's mission of education alive and thriving in the 21st century. This article hopes to accomplish two goals: first, to articulate the meaning of the three core values of Unitas (Unity), Veritas (Truth), and Caritas (Charity). Secondly, to report the results of a study of the Augustinian Values Institute (AVI), a program that engages participants in reflection on the core values and how they might be applied to their classroom pedagogies. The article concludes with some discussion about future directions for the Institute.