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New institute for the study of St. Augustine takes its
first steps
Maureen McKew
 Villanova
has begun to fulfill a long-cherished dream: the establishment of a major
center dedicated to St. Augustine of Hippo. The Augustinian Institute,
dedicated to fostering research and study of St. Augustine and the Augustinian
Tradition, will undertake through research programs, conferences, and
publications to enhance Villanova’s unique Augustinian identity.
According to the Rev. Kail C. Ellis, O.S.A.,’69 M.A., dean of the
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, under whose aegis the Institute
will operate, these initiatives will be undertaken in coordination with
the academic programs of the University, already marked by a commitment
to the study of St. Augustine. It will also serve as a resource center
for outside scholars and act as a liaison with other national and international
institutes for Augustinian study, such as the Catholic University of Louven
in Belgium and the Instituto Patristico Augustinianum in Rome
The idea of establishing of the new institute was first articulated in
the 1979 mission statement of the University. It was expanded upon in
the 1991 mission statement, A Future of Promise, as well as in the University
Strategic Plan of 1995, A Future of Promise, A Future of Excellence.
Last year, the Rev. Edmund J. Dobbin, O.S.A.,’58, University president,
appointed the Rev. Thomas Martin, O.S.A, associate professor of the theology,
as the director. Father Martin spoke recently about the institute and
its plans.
“There already is a great deal underway here as we continue to ask
ourselves what kind of Catholic and Augustinian university we wish to
be,” Martin said. “We have the annual St. Augustine lecture,
the publication of the journal Augustinian Studies (two issues yearly),
the conferences that we host regularly. We host an annual summer series
called ‘In Dialogue with Augustine,’ which brings to our campus
today’s most respected scholars of Augustine’s thought. These
activities need to be better coordinated. We also are committed to curriculum
with an Augustinian component. The Institute’s internal mission
will be to provide resources and support for such activities.”
“However,” he went on to say, “there is also an external
mission for the Institute and that is to make it the major center for
the study of St. Augustine in the United States. We hope that eventually
the institute will be a research site for the international community
– a place where scholars will come, fellowships will be offered,
and where there will be opportunities for post-doctoral work.”
Father Martin also envisions that every two years, the institute will
host a major international conference on a topic related to Augustine
and the Augustinian tradition. There is a major conference slated for
December of 2003 and discussion is already underway for a future conference
on the place of Augustine in medieval philosophy.
The Augustinian Institute is the latest in a series of initiatives taken
by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the University itself
in recent years to promote St. Augustine and his thought. The Core Humanities
Seminar incorporates Augustine into the undergraduate curriculum. The
University Office of Mission Effectiveness grew from a subcommittee for
mission in the College, which also hosts the Augustinian Chair in the
Thought of St. Augustine. In 2002, the College established the Department
of Humanities which will place special emphasis upon the Augustinian Tradition.
While Father Martin can count on strong support from the College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences, he realizes that establishing the institute will require
the cooperation of other departments of the University. Falvey Memorial
Library, for example, will need enhancement in order to offer research
opportunities. Significant resources will be needed as the institute expands.
In the meantime, Father Martin is not turning from his own academic vocation.
He is teaching this semester and will continue to keep his schedule as
a highly respected and sought-after speaker. He will continue to write
as well. His most recent book, Our Restless Heart: The Augustinian Tradition,
(Orbis, Maryknoll, New York 2003), examines Augustine’s spiritual
vision and its influence through the centuries.
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