Nestled along the banks of the Tiber River in the heart of Rome sits the Bernardi Campus of the University of St. Thomas. Acquired by the Minnesota university in November 1999, the campus was named in honor of Antonio and Cecilia Bernardi, parents and grandparents of St. Thomas alumni, including Luigi Bernardi ’85, ’89 MBA. Natives of Italy, their generous donation made the establishment of the Rome campus possible.
“My parents would be very excited and pleased at the progress of the Bernardi Campus and how many lives they’ve affected in a very positive way,” said Luigi Bernardi, president of Edina-based Arcadia/Aurora, a real estate development firm.
Since its opening in 2000, the Bernardi Campus (St. Thomas’ third campus including St. Paul and Minneapolis), has provided opportunities for students and faculty to benefit from firsthand engagement with the Vatican, historical basilicas, and spiritual heritage; some even have met popes.
“Meeting the pope was surreal,” said Taylor Fox ’24, who visited Rome through the Center for Common Good’s Shelter Crew initiative. “I’ll remember it forever.”
Another student, psychology major Brendan Bonin ’26, spent the second semester of his sophomore year on the Rome campus as a part of his Catholic studies minor. While on the Bernardi Campus, he was chosen to read from the Old Testament in front of Pope Francis and a crowd of thousands at St. Peter’s Square during the day’s celebration after the Easter Vigil Mass.
“Realizing I had been chosen left me speechless,” the Catholic studies minor said.
The vision behind the Bernardi Campus
The Catholic Studies program was the impetus for St. Thomas’ expansion to Europe.
“The late Dr. Don Briel, founder of the Center for Catholic Studies, pitched me in the mid-1990s on the value a permanent campus in Rome would add to the educational opportunities St. Thomas provides,” President Emeritus Father Dennis Dease said. “He spoke eloquently of Rome as a world-class city, its rich history, its role in the growth of the Christian faith, its beauty, its art and architecture, music and, of course, food. Don went on, of course, but he had me at ‘food.’”
In searching for a property, St. Thomas discovered that most of the Catholic colleges with a presence in Rome had their campuses in outer suburbs, with students typically entering Rome only on weekends. St. Thomas, however, wanted to provide an immersive experience.
After a private Mass with St. John Paul II, Briel prayed for a building. Then he got a lead – a religious order was looking to sell its building on the Tiber River.
Originally built as a private home, the 20,000-square-foot residential estate was previously owned by a group of Spanish nuns who ran a residence for young women in difficult situations. The religious order could have sold the property at a higher price but chose to sell it to St. Thomas to preserve the estate for educational and religious purposes.
“Thanks to the sisters, we ended up on the west bank of the Tiber, a short walk to the Vatican and in the heart of Rome,” Dease said.
Following a $1 million renovation, the building was transformed into a home base for St. Thomas students and faculty. Overseen by architects Ciznia Abbate and Carlo Vigevano, the renovation preserved many of the building's original features.
The 50-seat chapel was renamed the Luisa and Dante Seghieri Chapel in honor of the parents of Joanne Reiling, wife of St. Thomas trustee William Reiling. The Reiling family generously sponsored the renovation and preservation of the chapel.
“This is a little gem for St. Thomas to have, and I’m very proud to lead this campus and to be an international global resource for our institution,” said Thanos Zyngas, who has served as the Bernardi Campus director since 2003. “Rome is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with so much history, so much to explore, to discover, to see. It’s an open book for our students.”
And the campus has a great view of the city. Former Theology Department Chair Terence Nichols once wrote about meeting with students there in the spring of 2002. “The rooftop was set up as a patio, giving us a splendid view of the city and a quiet atmosphere for discussion,” he wrote.
For many students, the Bernardi Campus became more than just a place to study – it became a spiritual home. Sister Angelica ’18 recalled how the campus shaped her faith.
“Bernardi offered me my first home with an in-house chapel with the Blessed Sacrament, which led me into an easy, accessible abiding with God on a daily basis as I encountered him in the Eternal City,” she said. “Situated along the river and apart from tourist traffic, I enjoyed the relative quiet of this place set apart for prayer and study as well as a perfect running distance for a morning loop to St. Peter’s Basilica up the Via della Conciliazione, a vivid memory I return to often!”
Kirsten Zimmermann ’24, who studied at the Bernardi Campus in spring 2023, said that living at Bernardi offered a distinctive experience that shaped her time in Rome.
“Studying abroad is both exhilarating and challenging, and for me, the Bernardi Campus was a steady anchor,” she said. “It was a place where, after immersing myself in classwork and the rich history that Rome offered, I could rest, contemplate, and pray about all that I encountered each day.”
Melina Arguello Sotro ’18, ’20 CSMA considered studying in Rome a “pinnacle experience.”
“The four months abroad immerses students into inspiring and transformational academic and spiritual environments,” she said. “The streets of Rome turn into the art classroom, and the courses taken at the Angelicum, alongside lay and religious students, are unforgettable.”
A formal dedication
On Oct. 6, 2000, the campus was officially blessed and dedicated in a ceremony attended by over 100 guests, including trustees, benefactors, and the first students residing at the new campus. Presiding over the blessing was Cardinal Pio Laghi, former prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education, accompanied by Archbishop Harry Flynn, Dease, and St. Thomas Chancellor Monsignor Terrence Murphy.
Dease recalled, “I remember only one sentence from Laghi’s speech: ‘Rome is a wonderful professor.’”
The Bernardi Campus initially hosted semester- and yearlong Catholic Studies in Rome programs, specifically designed for junior and senior Catholic Studies majors and minors. Through a formal affiliation with the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, students enroll in courses in Catholic social thought, theology and social justice. At the time, St. Thomas was the only U.S. university to maintain such an affiliation with the Angelicum. Beginning in spring 2017, the Catholic Studies in Rome program shifted to a spring semester-only offering.
The unique relationship of Catholic Studies, Saint John Vianney College Seminary (SJV), and the Pontifical Irish College is yet one more fruit of St. Thomas’ ongoing presence in Rome. The first class of seminarians were welcomed to the Pontifical Irish College in the fall of 2016.
Also in fall 2016, St. Thomas launched the Rome CORE program – now known as the Rome Empower Program. This program was designed to broaden the international study experience for students with majors beyond Catholic Studies. Aimed at first-semester sophomores, this study abroad program allows students to take liberal arts courses through the AIFS Global Study Center while immersing themselves in Rome’s rich cultural and historical landscape.
A transformative experience
Director of the Center for Catholic Studies Michael Naughton, who has spent six semesters at the Bernardi Campus, considers the trips one of the most rewarding elements of his professional life.
“Rome is built on layers. You have ancient Rome, early Church Rome, medieval Rome,” Director of the Center for Catholic Studies Michael Naughton said. “You’re constantly running into history – you’re literally standing on it.”
Naughton’s sentiment is echoed by Department of Catholic Studies Chairman John Boyle, who has witnessed firsthand the impact of Rome on students.
“Over the years, students often tell me that Rome transformed their lives. When I ask what they mean, they cannot find the words. I have, however, come to see why Rome is such a significant and enduring experience,” Boyle wrote in the summer 2023 issue of Lumen.
“Our students want to be intellectually serious about their faith, they want to deepen their interior lives, and they want to develop true friendships. In St. Paul, they are busy with many things. In Rome, we create a space for them to intensify, or even newly acquire, habits of the intellectual and spiritual life.”
Derrick Diedrich ’21, ’24 CSMA appreciated how the Bernardi Campus provided a home away from home.
“The Bernardi Campus is such a unique place and reflects all the best of St. Thomas’ ideals and mission,” he said. “Having our own home in the Eternal City and heart of the Church creates one of the best learning environments I have ever had the privilege to be in and an experience of community that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
The Bernardi Campus continues to serve as a cornerstone of the University of St. Thomas’ commitment to global education. Whether through Catholic Studies or the Rome Empower Program, students who study at the Bernardi Campus leave with a deeper understanding of their faith, a broadened worldview, and memories of their time in Rome.
