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April 26, 2024By Jennifer Brinker, St. Louis Review, OSV News
ST. LOUIS (OSV News) -- The Augustine Institute announced April 23 that it has purchased the former Boeing Leadership Center near Florissant and will begin moving its headquarters to the St. Louis area in the coming months.
The Denver-based, lay-led institute includes a graduate school that offers master's level degrees in theology, pastoral theology, biblical studies and Catholic education. It also publishes catechetical and sacramental preparation materials for adults and children, produces films and podcasts, and created formed.org, a streaming service featuring Catholic content.
The institute said in a statement it will transition its operations over the next few years, with its headquarters and graduate school of theology opening on the new campus in time for the fall 2024 semester. The 284-acre property, located in unincorporated north St. Louis County north of Florissant and overlooking the Missouri River, was once owned by the Desloge family and has been appraised by the St. Louis County assessor at $28.8 million.
Moving to the St. Louis area offers an opportunity to expand the graduate school and "further our mission of helping Catholics understand, live and share their faith," president Tim Gray said in a statement. The new facility "will transform the work of the Augustine Institute by allowing us to take our curriculum and resources beyond a digital interface, which already reaches millions around the world, into a national center for Catholic conferences, retreats, evangelization and fellowship."
Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski said in a statement that the Augustine Institute will transform the property into "the premier center for the New Evangelization in the United States. By leveraging St. Louis' central location, the Augustine Institute can foster a new era of collaboration with Catholic organizations nationwide and invite more people to encounter Jesus Christ and His Church."
The institute said that plans are already underway to transition the graduate school to St. Louis and is part of a multiphase plan to convert the property into a center for evangelization at the service of the church. The institute also said it will offer conferences and retreats and host events for other apostolates and ministries.
Father Christopher Martin, vicar for parish mission and vitality for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, said that through working with Augustine Institute, the archdiocese will be able to enhance its efforts for evangelization and discipleship. "We look forward to tapping into its wide array of existing resources, exploring our faith with its renowned theologians, and engaging in hands-on training in our own backyard," he said.