Students travel to New Jersey to Deepen Their Augustinian Roots

Six Providence Catholic students joined students from across North America at the recent Student Augustinian Values Institute (SAVI) held in New Jersey.   

Over 50 students represented the eight Augustinian high schools gathered for the three-day experience of faith, friendship, and service. SAVI was created in 2010 to help students understand the teachings of the saint their school’s religious order is named after, St. Augustine. In addition, it allows students to see, explore, and apply the Augustinian core values of Truth, Unity, and Love, while also developing enthusiasm, dedication and a common purpose amongst the Augustinian schools.

This year’s SAVI took place April 5th through 7th at Augustine Prep High School in Vineland, New Jersey. The Providence Catholic students in attendance were: Michael Blake ’21 of Homer Glen, Mary Block ’21 of Mokena, Peyton Botich ’21 of Crown Point, Indiana, Ashley Chaveriat ’21 of Tinley Park, Kate Koszulinksi ’21 of Frankfort, and Abigail Pierson ’21 of Frankfort participated in the Student Augustinian Values Institute (SAVI). Students are recommended to attend this yearly conference. Those who attend SAVI spend a weekend discussing and reflecting upon the three Augustinian values of truth, unity, and love and work on ways in which those important teachings can be applied in their classrooms. During the three-day event, students not only take away all that they learned and build a stronger Augustinian community in their own school, but they also develop a stronger bond with Augustinian students throughout the world.

“My experience on SAVI was one of the best experiences of my high school career,” said Providence Catholic Sophomore, Michael Blake. “I met multiple high schoolers just like me who went to other high schools across the country and Canada who base their lives on the Augustinian vales of Truth, Unity, and Love.

Each year the students are tasked with creating a video to show off their school’s facilities, students and faith.

Providence Catholic Sophomore, Kate Koszulinksi said the experience opened her eyes and her perspective on the true meaning of the Augustinian values. “The whole experience deepened my understanding of who I was and who I am as an Augustinian student,” she said. “I learned how to reach out to others through truth, unity, and love and sharing the event with so many other students my age really opened up the idea of our universal unity as Augustinians.”

The Augustinian Schools in Attendance:

  • Austin Catholic – Chesterfield, MI
  • Austin Prep – Reading, MA
  • Cascia Hall – Tulsa, OK
  • Malvern Prep – Malvern, PA
  • Providence Catholic – New Lenox, IL
  • St. Augustine Prep – Richland, NJ
  • St. Augustine – San Diego, CA
  • St. Rita of Cascia – Chicago, IL
  • Villanova Prep – Ojai, CA
  • Villanova College – King City, Ontario

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Kathleen E. Kennedy
Director of Communications

 

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