A Jubilant July

Campus Life Update

From touring the Papal Palace to hosting our valued friends at EWTN, CatholicTech has been staying active. Living near Rome presents a myriad of spiritual and cultural opportunities for students to embrace. Though college classes are not currently in session, campus life is quite busy these days. Having too many wonderful options of adventure to choose from is not a problem that we will complain about!

On Saturday, our dear high school summer program students were privileged to walk through the elaborate Papal Palace in town. This honor was especially profound considering the building’s rich history of hosting generations of Popes. While some CatholicTech members were attending this tour, others were welcoming our friends from EWTN for a conference on AI Ethics. Both CatholicTech co-founder, Alexis Haughey, and Father Michael Baggot delivered eloquent lectures on the subject and Fr. Michael Baggot celebrated the Holy Mass.

The Sunday sunshine called for a trip down to Lake Albano after Mass. Catching UV rays and sights of sailboats, the gathered group enjoyed their time on the beach. All the walking and swimming worked up an appetite in the lake loungers, so they ended their day with an incredible barbeque spread. The summer program students began their Hackathon event on Monday. The event entails students working as teams on their final coding projects.

Perhaps the highlight of this week was the attendance of the Papal audience on Wednesday. CatholicTech members achieved a remarkable proximity to the Holy Father, during this Jubilee of Youth event. It was a neat experience to see Pope Leo XIV near CatholicTech’s stomping grounds of Castel Gandolfo and now in the traditional Papal realm of Rome. Waltzing up to the face of St. Peter’s Basilica is always a striking moment. But it was particularly poignant to gather in St. Peter’s square while surrounded by thousands of other young eager audience members who traveled from near and far to see their spiritual father. The Jubilee of Youth event has attracted an estimated 500,000 young pilgrims to the Eternal City.

After the Papal audience, the group visited Santa Maria Sopra Minerva church to hear a talk from the Dominicans. To top off this incredible day, the high school students stayed at the church to pray in front of the incorrupt body of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, the incoming patron saint of youth.

Amid these adventures were many moments spent splashing in the pool on campus. Like a sponge, we hope to soak up every word taught in the classroom and every joy of daily life at CatholicTech!