In February, 24 people from among the Catholic Studies Advisory Board, university leadership, donors, and friends embarked on an eight-day pilgrimage to Rome. Situated within the Jubilee Year of Hope, this was a remarkable experience of renewal, deeper communion with God, and celebration.
We saw Rome through the eyes of our Catholic Studies students: We prayed, walked, ate, learned, and experienced the impact of the Incarnation together in the heart of the Universal Church. Dr. John Boyle provided a broad vision of the history of Rome and our faith in this ancient city. Father Austin Litke ’04, OP, shared his deep understanding of the spirituality, life and history of the Church. Taking seriously our role as pilgrims, we trusted in God’s promises and prayed throughout the journey.
Our experience on the Catholic Studies Rome Pilgrimage provided me and my husband, Brian, with a deeper understanding of the Catholic Studies program and its lasting effects. It is undisputedly relevant and necessary in today’s world.”
- Kate Wenger
We walked in our students’ shoes: Our pilgrimage appropriately began in the chapel of the Bernardi Campus, where our students live while in Rome. We toured the Angelicum where they take classes and visited the historic churches and museums where they experience life outside the classroom. Their teacher and world-renowned art historian Dr. Liz Lev gave us private tours of the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel and a walking tour for a closer look at the Catholic faith through art and architecture.
Visits to the four major basilicas – entering their respective porta santas – centered our pilgrimage on prayer, mercy and redemption. We received Lenten ashes during Mass at dawn in the Church of Santa Sabina with other Americans living and studying in Rome. A walking tour of the Roman Forum and a tour of the monasteries of Subiaco gave us the opportunity to consider this vast timeline of which we are a small part.
We saw our students thrive and grow during their Rome semester and we, fellow pilgrims, experienced some of that transformation for ourselves. We grew in faith, in friendship, and came away with a greater understanding of Catholic Studies as a program and as a way of encountering the world.
My wife, Denise, and I are so grateful for the opportunity to experience the beauty and depth of our faith alongside the other pilgrims. Supporting Catholic Studies is an honor, and we are thankful for the important work it does to foster faith and scholarship.
- Eddy Rojas, provost
This story is featured in the summer 2025 issue of Lumen.
