The educational centers prepared numerous ways to celebrate St. Augustine’s birthday with the students and to make known the thoughts of the Augustinian saints.
Probably St. Augustine did not imagine during his lifetime that 1666 years after his birth his birthday would be remembered and celebrated in multiple ways, each one more original. Last November 13, the educational centers of Spain and Latin America joined in the celebration of the anniversary of the birth of the Bishop of Hippo and carried out in his honor formative activities to celebrate and get to know one of the most important figures of the Church. Drawings, talks with Augustine, contests… creative initiatives to make students be and feel more Augustinian.
St. Augustine’s birthday has been celebrated in Augustinian Recollect schools for several years, also coinciding with the feast of All Saints of the Order. For the schools it is an opportunity to show the students the richness of Augustinian thought, as well as to promote its knowledge and diffusion.
A video game to get to know St. Augustine
The students of Colegio San Agustin de Valladolid (Spain) celebrated the birthday of St. Augustine… with a video game! In order to celebrate and highlight his birth, the school promoted the Augustinian and Vocational Week. The simple game, created by the Augustinian Recollect Fernando Martin, uses some Augustinian saints to indicate where to go to find St. Augustine and help with the how or why.
In addition, the youngest students made some birthday hats and a crown that they placed on the sculpture of St. Augustine, to whom they sang happy birthday.
Saint Augustine… by videoconference!
Every year St. Augustine used to come to Romareda School in Zaragoza, Spain, in the figure of one of the teachers of the center. This year he couldn’t be there because of the pandemic, but he connected virtually with the students to send them a greeting. He also gave them heart-shaped chocolates.
The pastoral department also gave the students a collectible of the Augustinian saints, which they had to complete by associating the image of each saint with their characteristics. They had previously read and completed a workshop on the saints.
Shape and color to St. Augustine
In the San Agustin School of Chiclana (Cadiz, Spain), activities were organized for all students: nursery, primary and secondary. The older students enjoyed the day outdoors, where they carried out pastoral activities.
The younger ones also enjoyed different activities around the figure of St. Augustine to celebrate this important date for the Augustinian community. In the chapel they attended the talk of the Augustinian Recollect religious and later they gave color to the drawings of St. Augustine that decorated their classrooms.
