About Us 2
Our Mission: Forming men of ideals ready to engage the world.
What is Sauganash?
Sauganash Study Center grew out of a desire of families to complement the education young men receive at home and at school. Our goal is to serve families by helping parents in their efforts to guide their sons to the highest ideals lived out both personally and professionally. We strive to make Sauganash a second home – a place where young men discover themselves and form deep friendships. We encourage everyone who comes to Sauganash to embrace the world around them and seek answers to its challenges with confidence and competence.
Sauganash and
Opus Dei
Sauganash’s programs are based on a Christian worldview that emphasizes service to others, love for freedom, loyal friendship, and hard work. The Christian orientation of Sauganash’s activities is entrusted to Opus Dei, a personal Prelature of the Catholic Church. Saint Josemaría Escriva, its founder, saw the calling to holiness as an invitation extended to all people to follow Jesus Christ in his years working as a carpenter by seeing their professional work and interactions with those around them as opportunities to serve and grow in love for God and others.
Our Goals
A Purposeful Life
Sauganash strives to instill in each young man a clear sense of being created by God for a unique purpose and that a fulfilled, happy life lies in struggling to carry out that purpose in one’s everyday actions. A key feature of the formation that Sauganash imparts, therefore, is seeking and lovingly embracing the path to happiness that has been prepared for each one of us.
Service
We all find happiness in seeking the good of others. Sauganash challenges young men to live for others, placing the desire to serve the needs of those around them as the defining motivation behind their actions. We strive to help each young man to carry out his duties as a student, friend, and son with a generous spirit of service that serves as the foundation for being a dedicated professional, father, and citizen in the future.
Friendship
Unconditional and lasting friendship is one of the hallmarks of Sauganash. Every young man at Sauganash is challenged to broaden and deepen his friendships by fostering a self-forgetful desire for the good of others. We endeavor to instill in everyone at a Sauganash a sense of unabating loyalty to his friends that makes him an encouraging support to each of them along their paths to their own greatest potential.
Professional Excellence
We contribute to the society in which we live through our work. Work well done, therefore, is indispensable for living a life engaged with the world around us.. We encourage every student to approach schoolwork as he would a paid job, putting in the same effort, care for details, and enthusiasm since studying is his professional work. Furthermore, we emphasize that each young man’s academic work is critically important preparation for his future professional life and giving it the serious consideration and priority it deserves is in fact an act of service for his future clients, coworkers, and family. Professional excellence, however, is not simply a matter of technical proficiency in a particular field, but living a deep commitment to the truth wherever it is found. Sauganash, therefore, encourages in each young man a genuine interest in and love for culture and the world around him.
Our Goals
A Purposeful Life
Sauganash strives to instill in each young man a clear sense of being created by God for a unique purpose and that a fulfilled, happy life lies in struggling to carry out that purpose in one’s everyday actions. A key feature of the formation that Sauganash imparts, therefore, is seeking and lovingly embracing the path to happiness that has been prepared for each one of us.
Service
We all find happiness in seeking the good of others. Sauganash challenges young men to live for others, placing the desire to serve the needs of those around them as the defining motivation behind their actions. We strive to help each young man to carry out his duties as a student, friend, and son with a generous spirit of service that serves as the foundation for being a dedicated professional, father, and citizen in the future.
Friendship
Unconditional and lasting friendship is one of the hallmarks of Sauganash. Every young man at Sauganash is challenged to broaden and deepen his friendships by fostering a self-forgetful desire for the good of others. We endeavor to instill in everyone at a Sauganash a sense of unabating loyalty to his friends that makes him an encouraging support to each of them along their paths to their own greatest potential.
Professional Excellence
We contribute to the society in which we live through our work. Work well done, therefore, is indispensable for living a life engaged with the world around us.. We encourage every student to approach schoolwork as he would a paid job, putting in the same effort, care for details, and enthusiasm since studying is his professional work. Furthermore, we emphasize that each young man’s academic work is critically important preparation for his future professional life and giving it the serious consideration and priority it deserves is in fact an act of service for his future clients, coworkers, and family. Professional excellence, however, is not simply a matter of technical proficiency in a particular field, but living a deep commitment to the truth wherever it is found. Sauganash, therefore, encourages in each young man a genuine interest in and love for culture and the world around him.
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Contact Us
For questions about activities for middle school, high school, and college students, contact:
Justin Reckart
773.283.1099
jreckart@sauganashcenter.org
For questions about activities for professional men, contact:
Mike Larkin
773.234.1113
mjlarkin@sauganashcenter.org
Castlewood Foundation, Inc., which operates Sauganash Study Center, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Tax-deductible donations to Castlewood Foundation can be made online or by check.
To make an online credit card donation:
Please click the “Donate” button below and follow the instructions to complete your donation through PayPal. Please note that all donations are made to Castlewood Foundation, Inc, the non-profit organization that operates Sauganash.
To make a donation by check:
Please make out your check to “Sauganash Study Center”, and mail it to:
Sauganash Study Center
5815 N. Cicero Ave.
Chicago, IL 60646
Youth Protection Policy
Sauganash Study Center is dedicated to providing a safe educational environment for those who participate in its activities, especially all minors. It does not tolerate any sexual or physical abuse on the part of staff, volunteers, or participants, including behavior that is objectively intimidating, physically or verbally. Also, staff and volunteers do not provide any illegal substances to the students nor permit their use. Every adult staff or volunteer submits to a background check and commits to follow a set of behavioral guidelines (here). If you are aware of any abusive behavior please report it immediately to the Director of the center, or in the case of an allegation against the Director, to the President of Castlewood Foundation. The Director of the Center in conjunction with Castlewood Foundation’s Board will promptly investigate and resolve any such complaints or reports. When necessary the Director, or the President of Castlewood Foundation, will inform the Directors of the Prelature of Opus Dei.