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Villanova College is an independent Catholic school for boys from Year Five to Year Twelve conducted by the Order of St Augustine. The Augustinians are a religious community of priests and brothers who have been involved in Education for over 600 years, conducting schools and universities in nearly every part of the world.
Love of learning and understanding are part of the tradition of the Order. Another key element of the Augustinian tradition is mutual support offered within a Christian community. The reason for the school's existence is the education of members of the Catholic community in the context of their Christian faith. That faith is the subject of study and learning at all levels of the school.
Academic Life:
The pursuit of learning holds a central place in the life of the school. Villanova values intellectual development and seeks to continue the Augustinian tradition of enthusiasm for learning and love of truth. It seeks to develop practical living skills in each student and to promote eager use of the intellect.
Villanova encourages the development of individual strengths. It seeks to make school learning relevant to the wider society and to prepare students for their future, whether in the fields of higher education, employment or leisure.
College Crest and Colours:
Many of these ideas are brought together within the College Crest. The heart and the open book symbolise learning and the love of understanding and truth. They also symbolise the need for love in the search for truth - the concern of the teacher for the student and the desire of the student to know. Finally the heart upon the book symbolises the central place of love in the Christian life. The triple Vs for Villanova and the school motto, "vincit veritas" (truth conquers), bring together the name of the school's patron, St Thomas of Villanova, and the liberating role of truth. St Thomas was a university professor who later became an Augustinian and a great reformer in the Church. He is remembered especially for his care of the poor and those in need.
Villanova College is named after the Spanish Augustinian, Thomas García Martinez (1486-1555), who has become known as Thomas of Villanova. He was born in 1486 in Fuenllana in the province of Toledo, Spain, at a time marked by great changes and fresh challenges when Spain was on the brink of her Golden Age.
The Context:
The Golden Age of Spain dawned late in the fifteenth century. It was a time of growth into prominence and power. Under the leadership of the "Catholic Kings," Ferdinand and Isabella, the Reconquest of Spain involving the defeat and expulsion from Spain of the Moors became a reality in 1492. That same year Christopher Columbus, sailing under the Spanish flag, opened the doors to the New World. A new age of discovery had begun, and Spain benefited greatly. Through her new lands and subjects and her military prowess, Spain firmly established itself as a world power. Charles V became king of Spain in 1516, and under his rule Spain continued to prosper. The new sources of trade gave her great riches, and the gold that poured into the country literally made it a Golden Age. For the next century, Spain would be both blessed and cursed; hers was one of the richest, most extensive, and most powerful empires in the world.
Wealth and new-found energy combined to produce an outburst of cultural activities. Writers, dramatists, and artists flourished. El Greco, for example, captured in his paintings the flamboyant intensity of mysticism. Spain was riding high, and this comes through in the literature of the time: the romances based on chivalry that were so popular in the sixteenth century reflected Spain's feeling of bold, boundless confidence.
The high spirit and materialism of the times pervaded the Church, despite the attempts of the Catholic kings and Charles V to foster a universal Christian spirit. Many of the higher positions of the Church were obtained through power rather than through holiness; the men who occupied these positions were used to luxury and did little to enhance religion. More respect was given to the king than to the pope. And the Holy Office, better known as the Inquisition, was in full swing. Still, despite the ambivalent state of the Church, or perhaps because of it, a number of holy men and women appeared such as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Theresa of Jesus of Avila and Saint John of the Cross.
Early Brilliance
It was into this world and at this time (1486) that Thomas Garcia Matinez was born. Thomas's family came from the city of Villanueva (Villanova in Latin) de los Infantes, from which, according to the custom of his time, he later derived the name Thomas of Villanova. He was only sixteen years of age when he enrolled at the University of Alcalá. The brilliant Thomas obtained his degree in theology in an exceptionally short period of time and was immediately invited to become part of the teaching faculty at this same university. Eventually, his reputation for intellectual prowess spread across Spain to the halls of the renowned University of Salamanca whose chancellor offered Thomas a professorship in 1516. To everyone's surprise, Thomas declined the offer, announcing instead his intention to become an Augustinian friar.
Ambition put aside
Thomas was in his late twenties when he decided to follow his call to the religious life and the priesthood. He did not document, as Augustine did, just how God touched his soul. Perhaps his decision stemmed from his work; lecturing for over a decade on philosophy and theology had no doubt impressed upon him the richness and depth of the spiritual world. In any case, despite many material attractions and career advantages available to him in sixteenth century Spain, Thomas readily surrendered all that he was and all that he had to God. He took the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and embraced the religious community life of the Augustinians on 25 November 1517. The following year, at the age of thirty-two, he was ordained to the priesthood.
It could be said that Thomas was an intellectual used to operating by reason, one who was comfortable with the power of his own intelligence. Unlike some intellectuals, he was also gifted in dealing with people. In particular he related well to his fellow community members and exercised leadership in his community. His fellow Augustinians, recognizing both his gifts and his holiness of life, soon chose him to be local leader or prior, and, later, regional leader or provincial. His usual work he did well, keeping careful watch over the spiritual and material affairs of the Augustinians in Spain. But he was also an innovator. Concerned about the spiritual state of the people in the far reaches of the Spanish empire, he promoted the organization of a missionary group of Augustinian friars to minister to the people in the New World.
This farseeing, practical man was also deeply spiritual. He continually sought to follow the example that Christ had set for the world. He therefore lived frugally, eating little and giving away the personal fortune he had inherited from his parents. He made himself available at all times to all people, and spent hours in meditation despite his many responsibilities.
A King’s Request Refused, then Accepted
Understandably, he was disturbed when the King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, asked him to become the bishop of Granada. Because he wanted to maintain his simple life, devoted to God and free from matters of money and power, Thomas declined the honour. The king regretfully accepted his refusal.
Several years later, however, the king again offered Thomas the opportunity to be bishop, this time that of the wealthy archdiocese of Valencia. Again Thomas refused. But the king pressured Thomas's religious superior to force him to accept the position. In accordance with his vow of obedience, Thomas reluctantly accepted. On 1 January 1545, at the age of fifty-nine, he became archbishop of Valencia. Although he now wore a bishop's ring and carried a jewelled cross he still remained, at heart, a friar whose way of life centred around the three vows.
Bishop of a Different Mould
In that era throughout all of Europe, many bishops and other prelates were accustomed to luxury, a sign of the times. Some were known to engage in duelling and an astonishing number attended masquerade balls. These misguided men were more concerned with ‘royal’ prerogatives as ‘princes of the church’ than with the needs of their people. Not so with Thomas. He sought to give all of his people especially the young ones a chance to create for themselves the opportunity for self-advancement. Therefore, he first visited each of his parishes to see for himself what the needs of his people were. Then he used the income of his affluent archdiocese to set up social programs on behalf of the poor and the rejected. He established boarding schools and high schools. For young girls he provided dowries, enabling them to be married in dignity. For the homeless he provided a place to sleep, offering them the shelter of his own home. It is thus for good reason that the common folk came to call him the Beggar Bishop and Father of the Poor.
In 1545, the year that Thomas was appointed archbishop, he was summoned, as were all bishops at the time, to attend the ecumenical council scheduled to meet at Trent in Italy. This was the council which would reform the Church and renew its sense of the spiritual. Thomas was not able to be present because the needs of his newly acquired diocese which had been without a shepherd for many years were urgent. Six years later, he was again asked to be present at the council; again he was unable to attend, for now he was too ill. In fact, he was so ill that he had already asked the king to allow him to resign from his responsibilities as archbishop. The king denied his request. God, however, revealed to Thomas during prayer that he would not have to worry much longer about earthly matters, for his life was soon to come to an end.
On 28 August 1555, the feast of Saint Augustine, Thomas celebrated Mass for the last time. Over the next twelve days he gradually grew weaker. As he was nearing death, he distributed to the needy what few personal belongings he still possessed; he even gave away the straw mattress on which he slept, asking only that he be allowed to borrow it until his death. Peacefully, on 8 September 1555, Thomas died. He left no will, for he had nothing left to bequeath.
His Heritage
Today, centuries later, a score of schools, churches and universities bear his name. Thomas is still remembered, still honoured, not so much for his acute intellect, nor for his strong administrative skills, nor even for his elaborate and inspiring sermons about the mystical life and the love of God. Instead, Thomas is known primarily for his simple sharing. He once said, "One thing alone I can call my own is the obligation to distribute to my brethren the possessions with which God has entrusted me." And Thomas lived this belief as fully as he could.
As priest and archbishop, Thomas insisted that the material resources of the Church should be shared with those in the greatest need. His life was characterized by the love of learning, peacemaking, and as a reformer of the Church.
Thomas’s intellectual legacy is reflected in his constant demand that all learning must be inspired by the desire for God. He celebrated learning as an activity that ought to make a difference in the community and in the world. He emphasized that justice and love are the guiding rules of virtue and learning. In Thomas’s writings we find a rich synthesis of the thought of Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, especially his emphasis on the innate desire for God in all peoples, the image of God in the human person, the power of grace and a theology of love.
Thomas found himself in a church world that was fraught with turmoil and struggles for power. His scathing attacks on his fellow bishops earned him the title of reformer, but he was motivated by a genuine desire that Church leadership personify the teachings of the Beatitudes. In words that are very contemporary, Thomas challenged all within the Church to serve the least powerful and to discover love and wisdom in the service of others.
It is appropriate then that Thomas is depicted as "father of the poor" in the statue at the front of Villanova College at Coorparoo. The statue in granite is by the famous Brisbane artist, Lenard Shillam, and shows Thomas offering alms to the poor.
The Augustinian Family celebrates his feast on 10 October.
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