Fr. Raymond Dlugos, O.S.A.

Champions of Giving: Fr. Raymond Dlugos, O.S.A.

Meet the Donor

Fr. Ray Dlugos, O.S.A., has served on the Austin Prep Board of Trustees since 2012, offering the school a deeply Augustinian perspective rooted in faith, community, and service. He currently serves as vice president for mission and ministry at Merrimack College, and his life’s work has been shaped by more than four decades as an Augustinian friar and priest. Over the course of those years, he has served in parish ministry, education, vocation work, counseling, administration, and higher education leadership.

 

His connection to the Augustinian tradition reaches back to his own school years and the vocation that followed. Ordained in 1983, Fr. Ray's presence and contributions are the essence of St. Augustine. That identity remains central to the way he sees his work, his vocation, and his connection to Austin Prep. Reflecting recently on his longtime friendship with Pope Leo XIV, whom he knew in college as Robert Prevost, Fr. Ray said, “It is surreal to know the Pope. It’s a little more surreal to know that the Pope knows me.”

That deep Augustinian identity also shapes the way he sees Austin Prep and the role it plays in the lives of its students. “I get a bird’s eye view of Austin Prep,” he said. From that vantage point, he has watched the school grow into a place where students are known, supported, and cared for in meaningful ways. “The students feel genuinely cared for here from the top down,” he said. Over the years, he has seen Austin Prep become a school that students “genuinely love because of what they experience here.”

The Inspiration to Give

Fr. Ray’s commitment to Austin Prep is grounded in the values at the heart of the Augustinian tradition. For him, truth, unity, and love are living principles that shape both faith and community. Those values also shape the way he thinks about supporting a school like Austin Prep.

“Truth, unity, and love are hallmarks of St. Augustine’s writings and teachings,” he said. He described those values in deeply human terms. “The truth is that we are not meant to be separated from each other. The truth is that we are all joined together in one family as all children of God.” That vision leads naturally to love, which he described as “the whole point, to be able to give ourselves away in love to each other and to receive what the others are giving in love to us.”

Supporting Austin Prep is about strengthening a school community where students are formed in mind, heart, and spirit. It is about helping sustain a place where faith, learning, and belonging come together in meaningful ways. From Fr. Ray’s perspective, giving is one expression of gratitude, shared responsibility, and commitment to the future of the school.

Supporting Austin Prep

As a trustee, Fr. Ray has watched Austin Prep grow in both its campus and its programming. He has seen the school invest in facilities, the student experience, and the kind of forward-looking planning that helps a community thrive over time.

“There’s been a lot of investment in this facility and a lot of investment in the programming of the school,” he said. In his view, those investments have helped Austin Prep become “a really excellent place that everyone has every reason to be proud of.”
 

At the same time, Fr. Ray sees growth as an ongoing calling. “We’ve got a lot more to grow,” he said. That forward-looking spirit is central to how he understands philanthropy. He believes schools flourish when they have the ability to think ahead, pursue new opportunities, and build on their strengths with purpose and confidence.

“Schools that are able to look forward to what is the next thing to do better are the schools that are able to thrive and grow and be successful,” he said. He also spoke about the importance of support that gives a school room to plan boldly and build wisely. That kind of future-oriented generosity, he said, creates “that sense of freedom that allows creativity and innovation and best practices to be established and built.”

Why Giving Matters

Fr. Ray speaks about giving in a language that is both spiritual and practical. For him, generosity is a way of living out one’s values in community and offering what one has for the good of others. “Ways of sharing our time, our talent, our treasure in the service of everyone rather than of ourselves is a very Augustinian thing to do,” he said.

That idea captures why his support of Austin Prep carries such meaning. Giving is a way of sharing responsibility for a community’s future. It is a way of helping students, families, and educators continue building something strong together. In an Augustinian community, people are called to offer their gifts for the good of the whole, and Fr. Ray sees Austin Prep as a place worthy of that shared investment.

He offered that invitation directly to others connected to the school as well. “I would say to anyone who’s part of the Austin Prep family that this is worthy of your support, worthy of your sharing what you have received and sharing it with God and God’s people in a way that could really make a big difference.”

Fr. Ray Dlugos brings to Austin Prep a powerful blend of faith, wisdom, and deep experience in Augustinian life. His example reminds the community that generosity is an act of hope, a sign of belonging, and a way of building a future rooted in truth, unity, and love. Through his leadership and his witness, he continues to help Austin Prep grow as a school and as a community.

Become a Champion of Giving

The article above is part of our Champions of Giving series, which highlights the individuals and families whose generosity transforms student lives and strengthens the Austin Prep experience. You too can be a Champion of Giving by supporting our students through annual giving, memorial scholarships, or campaign contributions. Your gift helps students learn boldly, lead with purpose, and serve with compassion — creating a lasting impact for generations to come.