Sr. Odyssa Estor, OSA, Superior General of the Augustinian Sisters of Our Lady of Consolation, challenged the La Consolacion College Bacolod community to translate the Augustinian values of truth, unity and charity into everyday relationships, decisions and leadership, stressing that meaningful institutional change must begin with the individual.
Speaking during a formation session on Augustinian Spirituality, Estor said membership in an Augustinian educational community goes beyond employment or familiarity with the institution’s vision and mission. She urged faculty, administrators, personnel and religious members to develop a sense of ownership of the school’s mission and to express it through integrity, shared responsibility and service.
Estor framed Augustinian spirituality as a way of life that must be reflected in a person’s values, behavior, words, choices and relationships.
She emphasized that spirituality cannot remain at the level of concepts or memorized institutional statements. Instead, she said, it should shape how members of the community respond to correction, deal with conflict, make decisions and treat one another.
A major part of her talk focused on truth, which she described as something that no leader or individual can claim exclusively.
Estor said leaders must be willing to listen to people under their care because wisdom may also come from those whose voices are seldom heard. She encouraged consultation, dialogue and discernment in arriving at decisions that serve the good of the whole community.
“Every voice should be heard,” she said in response to a discussion on communication within the institution.
She said leadership does not give anyone a monopoly on knowledge and urged administrators and employees alike to recognize the abilities and insights of other members of the community.
The pursuit of truth, she added, also requires honesty, credibility and integrity. She challenged participants to examine whether their words and actions remain consistent even when no one is watching.
Estor also warned against gossip, hasty judgment and the spread of negative information about others, saying these practices weaken community life. She instead encouraged participants to speak about the good in others and to become sources of positive energy within the workplace.
Her discussion of unity centered on the movement from “me” to “us.”
Estor said members of an Augustinian community should not focus solely on personal interests, achievements or benefits but should recognize their shared responsibility for the institution and its mission.
She urged members of the LCCB community to care for institutional resources, contribute their talents and participate actively in the common work rather than act merely as recipients of what the institution provides.
Unity, she said, does not mean the absence of differences. Rather, it requires members of the community to bring their diverse ideas, experiences and gifts together in service of a common purpose.
Estor also highlighted the need for structures that allow people to communicate openly, particularly those who work closely with students and understand their needs.
She said external benchmarking and learning from other institutions are valuable, but schools must also examine their internal relationships, communication practices and organizational culture.
On charity, Estor emphasized service and leadership rooted in love.
She said positions of authority should be understood as responsibilities rather than privileges and warned against allowing titles and leadership roles to become sources of entitlement.
For Estor, genuine leadership is measured by how well a person serves those entrusted to his or her care.
She also spoke about correction as an expression of charity, noting that members of a community have a responsibility to help one another grow. Correction, however, must be motivated by concern and love rather than humiliation or hostility.
She urged participants to remain open when others point out areas for improvement, saying personal and professional growth requires humility and a willingness to change.
The Augustinian practice of interiority was another recurring theme in the session. Estor encouraged participants to examine themselves before criticizing others and to develop a deeper awareness of their motivations, limitations and relationship with God.
She said people often look outward for those who need to change while failing to recognize areas within themselves that also require conversion.
Estor challenged the community to begin institutional transformation from within.
“We may not be able to change the whole world,” she said in substance, “but we can refuse to become another source of negative energy.”
She encouraged participants to become agents of positive change in their families, workplaces and communities through small but deliberate choices grounded in truth, unity and charity.
Estor concluded by inviting members of the LCCB community to assess whether their lives reflect the Augustinian values they profess and whether their presence contributes to building or weakening the community.
Her message underscored that Augustinian spirituality is ultimately demonstrated not by what members of the community know about St. Augustine, but by the way they seek truth, build communion and serve others with love.