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PDF version of the ROME PROGRAM BROCHURE PDF version of the story about the Rome Program Celebrating 5th Anniversary from the Instaurare Itinerary
Christendom in Rome - A Unique Experience in the Heart of the Church
“Making eye contact with the Holy Father stills all the frustrated rumblings of one’s heart, and time itself seems to stand still. It was incredible, really. I still can’t exactly believe it,” says Senior Nicole Hill while reflecting on her semester that she spent in Rome during the Fall of 2006. Before settling in to their apartments in Rome, the students begin their semester in Florence where they spend one week in an intensive Italian program. Following a weekend retreat in Assisi, the students then head to Rome, where they begin their semester in the heart of the church.
Although a number of colleges and universities offer their students an opportunity to study in Rome, Christendom’s program is unique in several important ways. First, an intimate group of just 20 to 40 Juniors takes part in the program each semester, thus allowing deeper friendships to occur and more individualized attention to be given by the teachers and Rome Program Directors. Also, all students involved in Christendom’s Rome Program are Christendom College students. They do not join up with another school’s program and Christendom does not allow other schools to utilize its program.
The students attend classes in the Istituto Maria SS Bambina, pictured above right. The only thing separating this building and the colonnade surrounding St. Peter’s Basilica is a narrow road. Secondly, no other college can boast such a convenient location in Rome. The students currently live in the Residence Candia, located just outside the northern walls of Vatican City. Students make a ten minute walk, cutting across St. Peter’s Square, to get to their classes each day at the Istituto Maria SS Bambina, a convent replete with classrooms, chapel, and a balcony literally overlooking St. Peter’s Square. In fact, from their balcony, students can easily see and hear the Pope during his weekly Wednesday audiences.
The last major difference is that Christendom charges a nominal “Rome Program” fee of approximately $700, not the normal added expenses of $2000 – $4000 charged by other colleges. This policy aims to make the program attainable for all students.
Christendom alumni Ben and Heather Akers currently serve as the Rome Program Directors. They both graduated in 1998 and Ben is now working toward his doctorate at the Angelicum. Along with teaching the students, the Akers act as both mentors and escorts in the exploration of Rome’s intellectual, cultural, and spiritual treasures. The classes offered in Rome include Modern and Medieval Philosophy, Apologetics, Moral Theology, Art and Architecture, Italian, and Roman Perspectives, a course that spans from Livy to the Church Fathers.
“Mrs. Akers’ Art and Architecture class brings to life the story of Rome,” Hill says. “She skillfully illuminates the major periods of art history and she includes weekly tours where we actually see the wonders we learn of in the classroom. What could be more enjoyable than a stroll through Bernini’s San Andrea al Quirinale after a lecture on the Baroque period? Bernini said this church was his favorite, and was often lost in contemplation there.” “Seeing the Pope never got old,” Senior Flannery O’Connor recounts. “ I remember one audience in particular, when Christendom was announced and we all jumped up and held the Christendom banner proudly and shouted ‘Amamus te!’ to Pope Benedict. We received a warm look as he raised his hand in recognition of the College. The Holy Father then drove by us as we all stretched with all of our might to touch his hand.” Because of their prime location so proximate to the Vatican, the students are able to easily attend the Sunday Angelus with the Holy Father, attend daily Mass at St. Peter’s, and walk to the many churches and sites of Rome. For meals, students have kitchens in their apartments and receive a weekly stipend to buy necessary groceries for breakfast and dinner. Lunches are shared in common at a cafeteria near where they take classes.
The apartments have kitchens so that students can cook for themselves most nights for dinner. On weekday evenings, the Akers usually arrange various group activities: Mondays they have pizza together at a local ristorante; Tuesdays they play outdoor soccer together; Wednesdays they volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity and help feed the hungry; and Thursdays they get together and have one of the apartments cook for everyone else.
“Christendom is known by many of the hierarchy in Rome,” says O’Donnell. “A number of the cardinals who head the various pontifical councils and congregations are good friends of the College, for example, Francis Cardinal Arinze, Renato Cardinal Martino, Alfonso Cardinal Lopez-Trujillo, and J. Francis Cardinal Stafford. Additionally, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI was the Chairman of our 25th Anniversary Honorary Dinner Committee in 2002. We definitely have a special bond with Rome!”
“To live in Rome, at the heart of the Church, for nearly three months teaches one what it means to be truly Roman Catholic. It has taught us that being Roman Catholic is to be rooted in the very Mystery of the Incarnation,” says Junior Matt Anderson. “Because God became man, earthly things take on a more supernatural meaning. Rome has taught us that Catholicism must infiltrate every aspect of our lives, not just our prayer lives, but also the very material and ordinary aspects of our lives as well. “From the architecture of churches to the statues of the saints—found on nearly every corner—Rome testifies that God must be the ultimate end for every single one of our actions, and if He is not, then the action is meaningless. Catholicism is not something to be kept in the Churches; no, it is something that should pervade our culture as if it were in the very air we breathe.” TBA Living
Accommodations The Residence Candia is within the sound of the bells of the Vatican but a world away from the tour buses. Five minutes stroll from the Vatican Museum (and the Sistine Chapel). It is in a quintessentially Roman neighborhood complete with cinemas, shops of all sorts, restaurants, coffee bars and an open-air market.
For the same price of a bed and breakfast Resort Candia provides regular services like an hotel, such as daily cleaning and weekly change of bed and bath linen. Laundry service photocoping and fax are available upon request at the reception desk. Apartments are available with one, two, three or four rooms. Units accommodate up to eight beds. Penthouse suites each with two rooms, have a superb view of Michelangelo's Masterpiece Dome on St. Peter's. Each apartment has
its own bathroom: it will be equipped with kitchen facilities, fridge,
TV COLOR set and air conditioned. Fall Semester Spring Semester 1. Participation in the Semester in Rome program is voluntary; students may elect not to participate and to continue studies uninterruptedly on the Front Royal campus. 2. Students must have at least Junior standing and be full-time students. 3. Students must have had at least one year of residency at Christendom prior to the Rome semester. 4. Students are expected to have completed the entire first 2 years of the core curriculum. 5. Students must have a minimum of 2.00 GPA in order to participate in the Rome semester. 6. Students on Academic Warning or Probation may not participate in the Rome semester. 7. Students with Incompletes on their transcripts may not participate in the Rome semester. 8. Students must have health and disciplinary clearance from the Dean of Students. 9. Students must be in good financial standing with the College. 10. Students must obtain valid passports and medical insurance valid in Europe. 11. The College reserves
the right to remove students from the Rome program at any time. Financial
Information $700 Airfare If the student decides
not to go to Rome, or for disciplinary or academic reasons becomes ineligible
after those dates, all fees must still be paid. Students who make their
own travel arrangements will not be charged the airfare fee. Testimonies of Christendom students who took part in Christendom's Semester Abroad program in the spring and fall of 2005. "Rome, for me, was truly and absolutely life changing. My Faith was realized in a way that it never has been before. To pray to a saint and to profess obedience to the Pope and then to see the tomb of that saint and to see the Pope; this actualization of the Faith is discovered in Rome. So many aspects of the Faith were tangibly presented to us. I have so much to hold on to now; I have so much experience to tap into and upon which I can meditate. Rome was and will remain such a blessing, such a gift." Anne Kulick, Wolftown, Virginia "Rome was the most amazing time of my life up until this point in my 22 years. It is an awesome place to go, and I truly felt it was my home away from home. I myself know that I have had a small conversion and wish to be even more active in my faith than I was before I visited all the churches in Rome. It was a really joyous time for me and one that I will not soon forget." Luke Petersen, Woodbridge, Virginia "I recommend the Rome program to everyone because you will never experience anything like it. To live in that wonderful city exposes you to so much, most of it unexpected. The Church and faith really becomes alive and much more important in your life. I have never been so proud to be a Catholic as when I saw all of Rome and the Popes." John O'Herron, Delaplane, Virginia
"The Rome program was an experience unlike any other. Each one of us was given the opportunity to experience Rome (all ALL of Europe) to the fullest. We were able to travel all over the country and continent and to truly experience the Church in Her most Universal sense. The most amazing aspect of our semester abroad was that we were able to witness the inner-workings of the Church first hand. Living at the heart of the Faith for three months instilled in us a new appreciation for it that I hope will remain for the rest of our lives." Kate Beer, Spencer, Massachusetts
"Rome was excellent
for spiritual growth and a healthy experience to learn more about another
culture. Being able to live in a foreign country was monumental for me
as a person and will forever remain in my memory. It shaped my character
and challenged my intellect." Danielle Lussier, Somers, Connecticut
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“Even three months in the heart of the Roman Catholic Church can change the students’ lives,” Professor Ben Akers says. “You cannot walk the same streets upon which trod countless saints, upon which millions of pilgrims have traversed, and upon which martyrs have shed their blood, without being challenged to deepen your faith.” 
Since the program’s inception, 318 students have attended the Rome Program and have fond memories of their time spent in the Eternal City. 
There is convenient
access to city buses and underground trains. The Resort consists of apartments
that have been recently renovated, provide all comforts and permit a very
short or a very long stay to be most enjoyable.
"Who
would have thought that when we signed up for the Spring semester in Rome
that we would be there for the death and funeral of our beloved John Paul
II and the for the election of Pope Benedict the XVI? We know that John
Paul II is going to be and is already considered a great saint. I feel
so blessed and challenged that I was able to be there for his wake and
funeral. When I was standing in line to see him lying in state, it became
very apparent to me how serious and wonderful it is to be Catholic. John
Paul II challenged us to be great saints. He showed us how to do it with
his life even to the last moment. When I was standing in that line I realized
that I too am supposed to live a truly saintly life. It was a scary thought.
Then the words of John Paul II rang through my head. ‘Be not afraid!'
I knew then that I was not alone. I knew that he was going to help me.
This may sound silly, but it really made me realize that it is my duty
as a Catholic to ‘Restore all things in Christ." Thank you.
Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for the education that I have
received here at Christendom that allowed me to fully appreciate that
moment, to fully appreciate what it is to be Catholic and to appreciate
richness of the Faith." Sarah Rolfes, Aurora, Indiana
"It
is an immense blesssing to be able to visit so many famous churches and
shrines and tombs of countless saints. One of the greatest blessings I
experienced living in Rome for three months was the opportunity to see
and hear the Pope so many times and to attend so many papal Masses and
events. I count myself fortunate to have had such a personal encounter
with the living and universal church when I attended a Mass celebrated
by bishops from all over the world and by the Supreme Pontiff of the Church.
This, along with the experience gained from living in another culture,
is an opportunity in which every Catholic should take advantage."
Angela Von Ehr, Ballston Lake, New York
