The Augustinians establish an institute on immigration in the United States

Villanova University, sponsored by the Order of Saint Augustine in Pennsylvania, has created the Mother Cabrini Institute to promote education and research on migration, as well as public advocacy and service related to migrants and refugees. The institute was presented at the Vatican Film Library on September 30, with the screening of the film Cabrini and an event at the Patristic Augustinian Institute attended by Fr. Joseph Farrell, OSA Prior General.

Cabrini is the title of the film that tells the story and legacy of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, patron saint of immigrants. The film by Alejandro Monteverde was screened on the morning of September 30 at the Vatican Film Library, an event that served as the launching point for the official opening of Villanova University’s Mother Cabrini Institute on Migration, located just a few kilometers from Philadelphia.

Founded in 1842 by the Order of Saint Augustine, Villanova University is one of the few Augustinian Catholic universities in the United States. Its motto, “Veritas, Unitas, Caritas” (Truth, Unity, Charity), summarizes the essence of its mission: to form professionals committed to truth, community, and love for others. With over 9,800 undergraduate and graduate students, it offers programs in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Law, Business, Nursing, and Professional Studies.

 Among its alumni is Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, who earned his bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Sciences in 1977 and received an honorary doctorate in Humanities from the same university in 2014.

First steps

The institute’s launch was attended by academic and religious leaders, including Joseph Farrell, Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, who spoke about how the Augustinian tradition of unity and service aligns with the institute’s mission to respond with compassion to migration and displacement.

 Fr. Joseph Farrell expressed his joy and said that the Augustinians are honored that Villanova University’s new Cabrini Institute is taking on the great work of evangelization by helping those most in need, especially immigrants and migrants. “We know that none of us can do it alone,” he said. “The institute will be able to bring people together to work for a common cause: to contribute to improving our society and making the world a better place.”

 The day after the film screening, the institute participated as a sponsoring entity in the conference “Refugees and Migrants in Our Common Home,” held from October 1 to 3 at the Pontificium Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum in Rome. Through these two Vatican events, the Mother Cabrini Institute reaffirms Villanova University’s leadership in building global academic networks for systemic change. Michele R. Pistone is the founder and academic director of the Mother Cabrini Institute on Migration, which seeks to bring together university and community partners to develop research, promote innovative teaching, and foster actions that respond to the challenges of migration.