Catholic Identity and Values
Charter of Core Values
Our core values emanate from the life of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, the charism of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, and the Catholic educational tradition.
In response to Frances Cabrini’s desire to provide an “education of the heart”—a Catholic, Cabrinian education, centered in Christ and ever mindful of the dignity and contribution of each person— the members of this community, through a collaborative process, have enunciated these values which exist as a standard for our activities and as a hallmark for all future development.
Education of the Heart is achieved through the core values of:
- Respect
We strive for a reverence of self and others manifested in trust and appreciation.- Respect calls for care and compassion in regard to, diversity, our environment, social justice, and civility in resolving conflict.
- Cabrini strives to promote the integrity of each person, thus serving the vital and vibrant good of all.
- Vision
Inspired by the indomitable spirit of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, we strive to promote and foster innovation and creativity.- Vision calls for a spiritually based outlook when seeking solutions, courage, and a proactive stewardship of all present and future resources.
- We accept the challenge to live our lives according to the Cabrinian vision and values.
- Community
We strive to strengthen community by uniting diverse individuals and their aspirations in shared endeavor.- Community calls for common mission, ethical responsibility, a sense of belonging, dialogue in decision making, enthusiasm for the enterprise, and participation in the celebration of our values and traditions.
- The Cabrini community seeks to maintain an environment of receptivity and hospitality for all and create union while nurturing individual gifts and talents.
- Dedication to Excellence
To maximize the potential of the individual and community we strive for the education of the whole person—intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual.- Dedication to Excellence calls for positive attitude, commitment to lifelong learning, personal and professional growth, pride in accomplishment, and fulfillment of common goals.
- At the heart of our dedication to excellence is the desire to be our best in the service of our students and all others.
Because we are an institution of process and constant development, what we are must always progress toward what we ought to be.
It is our hope that, in our constant effort to evaluate our growth, we aim for a point of coincidence in which the values that determine what we are become one with what we ought to be.
Catholic Identity Statement
Inspired by Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, we, the University community, participate in her enduring legacy to make the love of Jesus visible in the world. This legacy serves as the foundation of our Catholic identity and our mission, the Education of the Heart.
As a Roman Catholic university, we live this legacy together in the shared pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty. In this effort we join together many traditions, backgrounds, and beliefs. In doing so, the University affirms God’s love for all, God’s gifts in all, and God’s call to serve all.
Our Catholic identity calls us to:
Faith
- invite all members of the community to share and develop their beliefs and faith traditions
- reflect with purpose, pray with passion, and seek wisdom in sacred texts
- celebrate liturgy and the sacramental life in times of joy and sorrow
Reason
- pursue a Cabrinian liberal arts education rooted in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition
- foster an academic environment that promotes spiritual, intellectual, and ethical transformation
- support scholarship to advance the common good
Justice
- act in solidarity with people who are poor, oppressed, and marginalized
- cultivate servant leadership that respects and upholds the dignity of the human person
- advocate for social justice, guided by Catholic Social Teaching
Cabrini University is a vital and distinctive mission of the international network of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Roman Catholic Church.
Adopted by the Board of Trustees, February 1, 2019