Established in October 1924 at the request of Bishop John Cantwell (John Joseph Cantwell), Villanova was founded by Augustinians invited to California from Villanova, Pennsylvania to open parishes in the early 1920s. Villanova is a member of the Augustinian Secondary Education Association (ASEA) comprising eight secondary institutions in North America and over 100 schools worldwide. Villanova offers both a day and resident program and is the only co-ed Augustinian boarding school in the country. Villanova has a small chapel that holds mass every Sunday for both students and the public.