Rome Seminar
A Dynamic Exchange between Catholic Higher Education and the Curia
Please note:
Due to the spread of the coronavirus,
ACCU has cancelled the 2020 Rome Seminar.
Please save the date for next year's Rome Seminar:
May 30 – June 3, 2021
“Every session had relevance in terms of gaining understanding of the Curia and strengthening knowledge that will enable me to better serve my institution, campus community, and larger community.”
—2018 Rome Seminar participant
The Rome Seminar offers presidents, senior administrators, and faculty leaders at ACCU member institutions a firsthand opportunity to explore the intellectual and spiritual legacy of the Catholic Church in order to strengthen and promote the mission of Catholic higher education. Just as importantly, it also gives participants an opportunity to act as ambassadors to Rome. Conducted and coordinated by ACCU senior staff and the staff of the Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas in Rome, the seminar offers a unique inside look at the Vatican and an inspiring experience of the Eternal City's spiritual treasures. Included are in-depth conversations with key representatives within the Holy See and Rome's pontifical universities.
"I attended this Seminar in 2016 and found it to be such a deep and rich experience. It changed the way I think of our Church in the world."
— Moya Dittmeier, Executive Director, Conference for Mercy Higher Education
Participants learn about various charisms, visiting sites that hold special meaning for several orders and for the whole of Catholic higher education. The group also enjoys conversation with leaders of the Pontifical Council for Culture, the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, as well as the Congregation for Catholic Education. Discussions with Vatican ambassadors, journalists, and university professors rounds out what is a truly memorable experience.
“It was important for helping me put a human face on ‘the Vatican,’ and I think the experience has planted the seeds for a deeper and richer appreciation of what we mean when we say ‘the Church.’”
—2018 Rome Seminar participant
Review the schedule for the 2019 ACCU Rome Seminar
For more information about the program, please contact Sandra Kerr-Porcari, skerr-porcari@accunet.org