Catholic Institute of Technology Hosts Its First-Ever Open House

Earlier this month, faculty, staff, board members, supporters, and soon-to-be-students of Catholic Institute of Technology gathered together for the first time in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.

The weekend began with a reception in the splendid atrium of our villa: a former hunting lodge which has housed members of the noble Orsini family, seminarians at the North American College, and friends of Opus Dei. The villa’s simple, rustic structure has grown and developed over the years to incorporate baroque ornamentation, neoclassical frescoes, and marble staircases that lead up to simple, almost monastic rooms with tile floors and shuttered windows. Rose-ringed parakeets sail across the sweeping slopes of the fields surrounding Villa Santa Catarina, where maritime pines sway in the breezes from Lake Albano.

Our activities commenced with a lecture by Dr. Rodrigo Negreiros on the development of astronomy and a brief reflection on the wonder it awakens for the divine. Faculty formed panels to discuss the ethics of emerging technologies and guests enjoyed tours of the Vatican Observatory, Papal Summer Palace, and Barberini Gardens. All gathered over coffee and cocktails for lively discussions and debates. Conversations on machine learning, metaphysics, and the mysteries of faith lasted through dinner and late into the evening.

The weekend culminated in the celebration of our founding with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and prayer from our president, Bishop Arthur Kennedy, who said Mass on Sunday in one of many beautiful chapels on campus.

The hand of the Creator has been truly present in everything from the craftsmanship of Villa Santa Catarina to the research and work of our faculty. All that we do at CatholicTech is ad maiorem dei gloriam–for the greater glory of God–and we are thankful to everyone who has made our undertaking possible.