On April 22, 2016, the Midwest Augustinians honored Ernie Mrozek, President of Saint Rita of Cascia High School in Chicago, for his outstanding commitment to Augustinian education.  He was one of three to be honored at our fourth annual Augustinian Gala.  He shared some great thoughts about the values that the Augustinians bring into our society after comedically explaining the advice his wife gave him in preparing his speech.

On April 18, the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) marked a day for the protection of historical monuments.  In Peru, to celebrate this day, each state designated one of its monuments for a "facelift" with a new coating of paint.  In the state of La Libertad, where Trujillo is the capital, for the first time a church was chosen that is not in the capital city.  The church is the ancient Augustinian church in the town of Jequetepeque.

On Tuesday, 26 April 2016, the Feast of Our Mother of Good Counsel, it has been announced that the Holy Father Francis has named our brother, Manuel Herrero Fernandez, of the Province of Spain, Bishop of the Diocese of Palencia, Spain.

Father Mike delivered this speech when he was honored at this year’s Augustinian Gala:  "As I have grown older, I’ve learned more and more about how God points out the path for our life.  As I look back, I marvel at so many graces given by God’s hand..."

Our fourth annual Augustinian Gala - held on April 22, 2016, at the Drake Hotel in Chicago - was a great success!  We are still crunching the numbers, but it looks like we set a record in how much we raised:  proceeds of about $140,000!  Wow!  Please join us in thanking all those took major sponsorships, those who sponsored tables, and those who placed ads in our program book.  You made it happen!

Fr. Bernie Scianna, O.S.A., gives his 2016 State of the Province Report as our Prior Provincial.  He his halfway through his second term, which will conclude in 2018.  The report includes updates on new assignments for the friars, vocations, advancement, and more.

You may not know it, but the Augustinians are a part of the United Nations.  Our UN arm, Augustinians International, is a voice for human rights and social justice.  Father Bob Dueweke, O.S.A., was recently appointed by the Augustinian Prior General (worldwide leader of Augustinians) as the new Representative for Augustinians International.

The Augustinian Gala is Friday, April 22 at the Drake Hotel in Chicago.  Please join in thanking our sponsors!

The Priors Provincial of the Federation of Augustinians of North America (FANA) recently authorized a five-year contract with St. Rita Parish in Racine, Wisconsin, to maintain this site as the location of the Federation novitiate, and to continue to administer the parish for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.  This represents a change in that the contract is no longer signed by the Midwest Province, but by the Federation Prior.

For several years, the Midwest Augustinians' Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel, headquartered in Chicago, have adopted administrative and canonical care over the Canadian Augustinians' Province of St. Joseph headquartered in King City, Ontario.  The center of the Canadian Augustinians' province is a captivating estate known informally as "Marylake," which mark its 75th anniversary in 2017.  In preparation to publish a historical book about the landmark, author Kelly Matthews penned the following article.

The Midwest Augustinians, the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel, has been named a 2015 All Star Award winner by Constant Contact®, Inc., the trusted marketing advisor to hundreds of thousands of small organizations worldwide. The annual award recognizes the most successful 10% of Constant Contact’s customer base, based on their significant achievements leveraging online marketing tools to engage their customer base and drive results for their organization.

Truth, Unity, and Love.  These are the three core values that the Augustinians live by in our parishes and schools.  Our longest-running school in the Midwest is Saint Rita of Cascia High School.  This past Holy Thursday, the schools students, aptly named "Ritamen," showed that the school carries the tradition of these three values through their volunteering and fundraising for the Augustinians' Pope Francis Home Challenge.