On Sunday, 17th August 2025, students of Augustine University, Ilara-Epe, were solemnly received as Associate Members of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary Association during an induction ceremony hosted by the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos at the Sacred Heart Retreat Centre, Agbowa, Ikorodu, Lagos State.

The Solemn Admission Ceremony, carried out annually across Catholic dioceses, is usually reserved for married Catholic adults who have enthroned the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in their homes. On the day of admission, they are formally admitted as members of the Association after praying the Act of Consecration and being invested with blessed scapulars and medals engraved with the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts.

Alongside this, the Reception of Associate Members is also performed annually for unmarried Catholic men and women from age 18 upwards. This was the category under which the Augustine University students were received. The young inductees pledged to live according to the Constitution of the Association, were invested with blessed badges, and each received a certificate of reception.

This marked the second time Augustine University students would participate in the Archdiocesan Solemn Admission and Reception of the Association, with support from the Epe Deanery. Significantly, Augustine University remains the first Catholic tertiary institution to be part of this annual spiritual exercise, a development that has drawn pride and joy within the Archdiocese.

In 2024, His Grace, Most Rev. (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos and Proprietor of Augustine University, personally officiated the ceremony, underscoring the importance of the University’s pioneering role in nurturing Catholic faith and devotion at the tertiary level.