The Province of Our Lady of Consolation in Brazil has just launched another promising initiative with the creation of its Rede Lius Agostinianos network
Almost 100 years after its first school was opened, the vision of an extensive network of schools is now a reality for the Province. From the inaugural 75 students who started in the first Augustinian school in 1934 to 10,000 students today, an unbroken chain of faces and stories have sat at the desks of educational centres, social schools and the Augustinian Centre of Integral Ecology to get to this point in time and place.
"The name Rede Lius is inspired by Augustine. Not only is it an homage to our spiritual father, it also references light and knowledge; it is about illuminating new ideas, bringing clarity to the different paths," explains Father Luiz Antônio Pinheiro, Prior Provincial and President of the Rede Lius Agostinianos.
Looking ahead, according to the Province's communications office, the aim is to expand the network to all corners of Brazil. Plans already include a free social unit in Fortaleza, opening in 2024, to care for up to 100 economically disadvantaged and socially vulnerable children and young people between the ages of 6 and 15 years.
A new unit for St Augustine College
Further down the line, plans are underway to open another unit at St Augustine College in Nova Lima, with a capacity for more than 1,000 students. This is scheduled to open in 2027. The overall aim is to consistently develop a sustainable venture.
Keen to expand this apostolic work and transform the country - as well as to spread knowledge about the person and teachings of Saint Augustine - the Province will build its academic proposition on a comprehensive foundation of formation and Christian values. The student will be at the centre of these efforts: and excellence and innovation will be the network’s watchwords.
