NEW ORLEANS — Saint Augustine High School is a Seventh ward landmark churning out some of the proudest students in the nation. But who is Saint Augustine?
"Saint Augustine was a theologian from North Africa born in the 300's A.D," explains Dr. Kenneth St. Charles, President and CEO of St. Augustine High School.
St. Charles says that Saint Augustine has all of the attributes that he wants his students to emulate.
"He is what we consider a doctor of the church. He's a philosopher...scholar.
St. Augustine of Hippo was a priest and bishop in Hippo a city in North Africa that is part of present-day Algeria. He is one of the most significant and influential thinkers in the history of the Catholic Church.
"He had some early thinkings about how Christianity would evolve...how it would spread across the world," says St. Charles.
Saint Augustine is considered a father of the church, but his road to sainthood was a rocky one. He was living a life of partying and sin until his mother's prayers saved him.
"His mother was St. Monica again from North Africa," says St. Charles.
St. Augustine's mother, Monica, went on to be canonized as a saint as well. She is considered an example of a strong Christan woman never giving up hope and continuing to pray for her family through rough times. She is the -patron saint of mothers and wives. Because of his conversion from a life of partying, St. Augustine is the patron saint of brewers. He is also the patron saint of printers and theologians because of his extensive writings on the catholic church.
"He is an integral part of the school's history back in 1951 and today," says St. Charles.
St. Augustine's history starts back in 1951. It was founded by Josephite priests, and at that time, it filled a gap in the community.
" At that time, pre-integration, pre-civil rights...that was a very pivotal time for society."
It was a time when society was always telling black men what they couldn't do. St. Augustine provided a space where black men were taught that they were capable of anything.
"St. Aug took alot of pride in proving to people we could be just as good as anyone else, and I think that bonding is what really people see when they see the St. Augustine alumni and men together."
And St. Aug students certainly have alot to be proud of...the accomplishments of many notable St. Aug alums, St. Aug's Marching 100, and a namesake whose relevance and teachings have transcended time.
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