Christendom Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Junior Semester in Rome

This past month, Christendom College juniors arrived in Rome to begin their semester abroad — an incredible opportunity for them to grow and learn in the Heart of the Church. For Christendom, their arrival in Rome was also an important milestone for the college, with this semester marking the twentieth anniversary of one of the most popular aspects of the Christendom College experience.

First begun in 2002 by College President Dr. Timothy O’Donnell, the Junior Semester in Rome exists to enhance the academic experience of students with the cultural and intellectual enrichment which living and studying in Rome offers. According to Rome Director Katy Ott, the experience has proven to be a life-changing one for hundreds of students for a simple reason: it changes the lens through which they see the Catholic Faith.

“After seeing the Eucharistic Miracle which began the Feast of Corpus Christi in Orvieto, they view the Solemnity in a different way,” says Ott. “When students are back home and it’s the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, they will remember touching a rosary to his baptismal fount or celebrating Mass at his tomb. The Rome staff are blessed to be a small part of the whole that enables students to encounter their Faith so tangibly through the Semester in Rome.”

Over the past 20 years, the Semester in Rome has undergone many changes. Philosophy professor Dr. Douglas Flippen and his wife, Maureen, served as the first Rome Directors, along with then college Chaplain Reverend Anthony Mastroeni. In 2005, alumni Ben and Heather Akers took over as the Directors and were instrumental in solidifying the experience over the course of four years.

In 2009, Tomas and Caroline Fuertes were selected to be the new Rome Directors, and in 2010, John Noronha took over as Director, with Katy Ott serving as Associate Director. In 2012, Ott became Director, a position she still holds today, with philosophy professor Dr. Mark Wunsch also joining as Academic Director.

Wunsch originally joined the Semester in Rome in 2005, teaching philosophy to students while he was doing his graduate studies in Rome. Today, his primary task is the recruitment and mentoring of the professors that teach students in Rome.

For Wunsch, the Semester in Rome has been ever-popular for 20 years for a reason — it’s a profound experience for students that ties right into the mission of the college.

“One of the central goals of a Christendom education is to furnish our students with intellectual habits of mind that allow them to thoughtfully engage every situation in which they will find themselves and which allow them to live an integrated life in pursuit of wisdom,” says Wunsch. “This objective is uniquely formed in Rome where their education in the theology, philosophy, art, architecture, language, culture, history, and communications of the place in which they reside for the semester gives them the intellectual tools to thoughtfully engage their Italian experience and lead a life where their curricular education informs their extra-curricular education and vice versa.”

For classes, students now study philosophy and theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (The Angelicum), learning in this hallowed institution with roots that can be traced back 800 years. The rest of their classes are taught at a facility right next to St. Peter’s Square and also on-site at various locations around Rome and the Vatican.

During their time abroad, students live in Residence Balduina, which is a short bus/metro ride or 30-minute walk to St. Peter’s Basilica. In addition to numerous opportunities to study, live, and tour within Rome itself, students are given the chance to travel to Siena, Assisi, Florence, and elsewhere in Italy with the college as well, while also being given “free weekends” to travel to other places in Europe. All of these opportunities, in addition to studies in and outside the classroom, combine to give students a rich cultural experience that stays with them for the rest of their lives.

Over the past thirteen years (ten as director), Ott has guided hundreds of Christendom students through their time in Rome, watching them grow during their time abroad. That experience has not only impacted the students but her as well.

“Staff and students are impacted in positive ways, big and small, by the Rome semester every day,” says Ott. “Seeing the students see St. Peter’s for the first time is moving beyond words. There are so many unique lessons that students can only learn in Christendom’s Rome semester. By taking classes at the Angelicum with students and professors from all over the world or attending a Papal Audience with the address in many languages, the students experience first-hand the Universal Church. I also think the challenges of living in a major city and communicating in a foreign language often bring about personal growth and contribute to formation.”

For 20 years now, Christendom students have lived, studied, and grown in holiness within the Eternal City. They have witnessed enormous moments in the history of the Catholic Church, including the elections of two popes and the canonizations of many saints. All of these experiences have changed their lives for the better, giving them a richer outlook on the Universal Church and the world at large. As the latest Christendom students now embark on another Semester in Rome, they are joining a group of people uniquely prepared to impact the culture for the better, ready to carry the lessons learned in Rome into their lives and truly live out the college’s mission of “restoring all things in Christ.”

Take a look at Christendom’s Junior Semester in Rome in the video below.