The Start to the New Year

Campus Life Update

From the arrival of new students and the start of Italian class and immersion, to canonizations in Rome, this past week at CatholicTech has been a blur of excitement, learning, and new opportunities.

Last Friday, September 5, we began to welcome new freshmen from the Class of 2029 to campus. As soon as they arrived, they were immediately immersed in the CatholicTech community, dining at a local restaurant in town and welcoming Pope Leo back to town in the afternoon.

On Saturday, CatholicTech joined in the festivities of Castel Gandolfo’s patron, St. Sebastian, protector against the evils of body and spirit. Ever since the late 1800s, the festival of St. Sebastian has been celebrated on the first weekend of September in remembrance of the miracle attributed to this wonderful saint. During a fatal cholera epidemic in August 1867, which affected the surrounding area, Castelli Romani, Castel Gandolfo was miraculously spared from the ravages of cholera and the plague. Though the feast day of St. Sebastian is January 20th, a papal bull by Pope Pius VII allows that his feast day be in early September in remembrance of St. Sebastian’s intercession that saved Castel Gandolfo. Now on a side altar in the local parish of St. Thomas of Villanova, there rests a relic of St. Sebastian.

Students joined members of the local community, including the mayor, representatives from the city council, and local police and Carabinieri in a band-led procession around the town with this relic of St. Sebastian. During the procession, the pastor of St. Thomas of Villanova led the people in praying a litany to St. Sebastian, stopping at multiple places along the way to offer prayers of protection from evil and sickness and strength in keeping the faith. The evening ended with a concert by a local cover band in Piazza della Liberta, and all had a merry time.

Some members of the CatholicTech community left immediately from this concert on Saturday night to venture to Rome in order to secure a good spot at the Canonization Mass of Sts. Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati. The next available train would not get them to St. Peter’s until 8am, and these brave souls wanted to be first in line. After spending a little time in town, they made their way to the entrance of St. Peter’s square to secure their space among other pilgrims. Their long wait was rewarded with seats near the obelisk; other members of the community who attended had to stand at the East side of the piazza. The canonization ceremony was a very moving experience for all, as these new saints were close to the age of college students, and Carlo Acutis was enthusiastic about computer science. Those who spent the night in Rome agree that it was worth the wait, and are very blessed to have been able to attend this historic event in the history of the Church. The weekend concluded with a cookout on Sunday night, including conversation with old friends, new students, and even some of their parents.

Monday marked the official start of studies for this year’s students, as they embarked on a week consisting of Italian language immersion. This semester’s intensive Italian course consists of Italian activities in the morning (led by one of the Newman Fellows), Italian Rosary after lunch in town, classes in the afternoon taught by a local English teacher and friend of the college, and finally, daily Mass in the local church. The students have been making great progress with their Italian, and have been able to practice with many of the residents of Castel Gandolfo.

The remainder of this week has been full of Italian, spending time with each other, and enjoying the local area and mild weather. More adventures are on the horizon at CatholicTech, but for now, we simply remain dedicated in all of our work to forming the next generation of saints, scholars, and scientists.