In Mother Cabrini’s Footsteps

Villanova coordinates a global three-year initiative on migration

By Megan Walsh-Boyle

Migration and displacement are global realities affecting millions, and addressing them reflects Villanova's core Augustinian values of Veritas, Unitas and Caritas. Last year, the University officially launched the Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration to advance programs and projects that honor the legacy of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, patroness of immigrants.

As Rome prepared for the October Jubilee of Migrants in 2025, the Institute convened scholars and Church leaders to launch a three-year initiative focused on refugees and other displaced people. The summit, “Refugees and Migrants in Our Common Home,” drew more than 225 participants from 40-plus countries, bringing together representatives from universities, NGOs and community partners committed to turning shared values into coordinated action. More than two dozen Villanovans from multiple colleges contributed through keynotes, panels and working groups.

The Villanova-led effort responds to Pope Francis’ 2022 call for Catholic colleges and universities to deepen teaching, research and engagement related to migration. Michele Pistone, JD, LLM, founding faculty director of the Institute and professor at Villanova’s Charles Widger School of Law, is guiding the project across campus and global networks.

Professor Pistone says the Institute designed a plan to produce concrete outcomes. “Participants joined four working groups in teaching, research, advocacy and service with migrants and refugees, and met online for weeks before Rome.” Because attendees arrived as collaborators versed in systems-change tools, the summit moved quickly from ideas to commitments.

The summit included an audience with Villanova alumnus and Augustinian friar Pope Leo XIV, who called migrants “privileged witnesses of hope.” Catherine Wilson, PhD, associate professor of Public Administration and a summit participant, underscored the significance of Villanova’s role in the global effort, noting that the Institute is “uniquely positioned to serve as a guiding light on this most pressing humanitarian issue.”

In February, the Rev. John Lydon, OSA, PhD, joined the Institute as its inaugural director to help establish it as a national leader on migration and refugees, collaborating with faculty, staff and external partners through programs and events that advance the Cabrini legacy.

“At Villanova, we want to ignite change. This includes changing attitudes towards migrants and changing mindsets about what is possible when hope and love are guiding values,” Father John says. “Remembering that the Holy Family, St. Augustine and St. Frances Cabrini were all migrants should continue to inspire us to move towards the Gospel ideal and, as Augustine says, ‘become what we are not yet.’”