Become a leader in the New Evangelization.
3 WEEKS | 6 CREDITS
July 23–August 15, 2027
July 23 – Aug. 15, 2027
Three weeks on Donegal Bay in northwest Ireland
6 Undergraduate Credits
Courses in theology, Irish history, and literature
$3,750 · €2,000
U.S. / Irish package: courses, room, board & excursions (airfare not included)
Ages 18+
Young Catholic adults from the United States and Ireland
CULTURE.
Experience your Catholic heritage and the ancient Christian roots of Ireland. Visit the sites of great people and historical events that formed the country, and directly influenced Western Christian civilization.
CATHOLIC.
Through daily classroom discussions and lectures, deepen your faith alongside young adults who share a love for the Church and the New Evangelization, and for building a culture of life.
CONNECT.
Meet students from across the United States and Ireland who are like minded and ready for adventure. Build new friendships, and enjoy sporting and fun activities together – including climbing Croagh Patrick, viewing the Bunglass Cliffs, and more!
In its thirteenth year, the St. Columcille Institute will be held for three weeks in the northwest of Ireland, on Donegal Bay, in Summer 2027. The institute will seek to strengthen the faith and deepen the understanding of young Catholic leaders through a thorough catechesis, ensuring that participants develop the ability both to evangelize and defend the Faith within secular society. Participants will also examine the patrimony of Western Christian Civilization through an in-depth study of history and literature.
The Institute invites the youth* of both the United States and Ireland to experience an awareness of the spiritual depth of the Catholic culture of Ireland that has enriched and determined much of the history of Europe, the United States, and the world. With its Gaelic roots, Ireland remains the culturally dominant English-speaking Catholic civilization in the world. Bringing young people together from the United States and Ireland will occasion fruitful dialogue and an exchange of ideas and experiences, reawakening a love of our mutual heritage and energizing a determined hope for a revival of Christian faith and culture.
*Participants must be at least 18 years old by the first day of the Institute.
PURPOSE
The St. Columcille Institute promotes the New Evangelization called for by Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis by forming both lay and clerical leaders and equipping them with the tools needed to engage the culture and bring the Faith to our modern world.
- The institute seeks to strengthen the faith and deepen the understanding of young Catholic leaders through a thorough catechesis, ensuring that participants develop the ability both to evangelize and defend the Faith within secular society. The Institute responds to the exhortation of St. Peter, "To be always ready with a reason for the hope that is within you." (1 Peter 3:15)
- Secondly, the Institute examines the patrimony of Western Christian Civilization through an in-depth study of the early foundations of Christendom, highlighting the Irish contribution, with its deep Catholic roots, and noting the successful evangelization of Europe through Ireland's historically vibrant Christian culture.
- Supplementing intellectual formation, in a bold effort to celebrate the Christian imagination, the Institute explores the fundamental truths of reality and the problems encountered in living the Faith by means of great works of literature and art.
- Finally, in order to satisfy the human need for community and leisure, the Institute provides an atmosphere that fosters true friendship, festivity, and recreation and that nurtures the whole person, mind, body, and soul.
- For more information on the evangelization of Europe and Ireland, see Blessed John Paul II's Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Europa. We recommend the entire document, but especially these paragraphs: 45, 47, 50, 61, 62, 64, 108, 124, and his final prayer at 125.
LOCATION
Star of the Sea Retreat Center is located in Donegal Bay (Mullaghmore, County Sligo), in a spectacular part of the northwest of Ireland (the home of St. Columcille) where local traditions and Irish culture remain strong and vibrant. The center has a commanding view of the ocean, bay, and surrounding beach. Located away from the chaos and noise of modern urban living, the site offers participants the opportunity to experience, in an intimate way, wonder at God’s creation amid the power and order in nature. Ample opportunity to pray and reflect deeply upon that which is permanent—the good, the true, and the beautiful—will reinforce the riches gleaned in the classroom.
COST
American Students
$3,750 FULL PACKAGE EXCLUDING AIRFARE
Includes price of the courses, room and board, three full meals per day, and all excursions in Donegal and Dublin. Students are responsible for providing their own airfare. Contact Cathy O'Donnell (cathyaodonnell@aol.com) for help booking airfare.Irish Students
€2,000 ARDS ONLY PACKAGE Contact Cathy O'Donnell (cathyaodonnell@aol.com) to learn about scholarships for Irish citizens residing in Ireland. Includes price of the courses, room and board, three full meals per day, and all excursions in Donegal.
COURSES
Theology 501, History 501, and Literature 501 each carry 2 undergraduate credits from Christendom College (6 credits total).
Theology 501: Special Topics in Catholic Apologetics (2 credits)
With Dr. Hugh O'Donnell and Dr. Timothy O’Donnell
As part of the New Evangelization called for by the Church, this course presents the basic arguments for the credibility of the Catholic Faith and natural law. Students will develop cogent arguments for defense to serve as effective means of persuasion. Topics range from God’s existence and the problem of evil to the historical reality of Jesus Christ and the mystery of the human person at the center of the New Evangelization.
History 501: Ireland and the Western Ethos (2 credits)
With Dr. Timothy O'Donnell and Dr. Michael Kelly
Among all the nations of Europe, Ireland boasts a unique and stirring history. With due attention to extant literary and archaeological source material, this course seeks to illumine that history, from pre-Christian times through the trauma of early modernity. The first evangelization of Ireland’s Celtic chieftains, the achievements of the island’s medieval monasteries and missionaries, the connections between Ireland and continental civilization, and the fierce resistance to the Elizabethan settlement will all be important themes. Moreover, this course is complemented in a special way by the excursions, as the recent history of Ireland—from the Ulster Plantation to the famine and the Civil War—is there to be read in the very folds of the Donegal countryside.
Literature 501: Christian Imagination and Prominent Irish and Continental Writers (2 credits)
With Dr. Kathleen Sullivan
This course surveys fiction, drama, and poetry drawn from the masterworks of the Western literary tradition, focusing on the Catholic perspective of man’s struggle throughout history to exercise his free will as he encounters both the reality of evil and the force of God’s love and mercy. Special emphasis on Irish writers will reveal the powerful, universal Truth of the redeeming nature of suffering especially when leavened by the Faith. The authors studied include James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, Walter Macken, Liam O’Flaherty, John Synge, Sean O’Casey, Oscar Wilde, Leo Tolstoy, Graham Greene, Gertrud von Le Fort, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
The Art of Communication in the New Evangelization: Living the Medium. Loving the Message.
With Dr. Seàn-Patrick Lovett
A series of three experiential communication workshops aimed at re-energizing the evangelizer in you by focusing on your talents and skills as a communicator—and applying them to ensure the Word is both heard and understood.
FACULTY
Dr. Timothy O’Donnell
Dr. O’Donnell, President Emeritus of Christendom College, serves as Dean of the Institute. He received his early education at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles, California, where he graduated with B.A. degrees in Philosophy and History. He continued there, achieving the M.A. in Church History. He completed his academic pursuits at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome (Angelicum), where he was the first layman to receive a doctorate in Ascetical and Mystical Theology. Dr. O’Donnell is President Emeritus of Christendom College, a four-year, Roman Catholic, liberal arts college with a graduate program in theological studies.
Dr. Michael Butler Kelly
Dr. Kelly lived for a year in West Cork when he was a boy. He received his B.A. in history and literature, with a minor in Medieval Studies, from the University of Oregon. He went on to get a Master’s degree in early modern European history at St. Louis University and a doctorate in modern European history from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Kelly has been with the history faculty of Christendom College since 2012.
Dr. Kathleen Sullivan
Dr. Sullivan is an Associate Professor of English Language and Literature at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. She teaches Literature of Western Civilization courses for the underclassmen and offers courses in British and American Literature for upperclassmen. Most of her writing and research is focused on Jane Austen and British novels of the nineteenth century.
Dr. Seàn-Patrick Lovett
Dr. Lovett served as Vatican Radio’s Director of English Programming under five Popes. He holds a doctorate in communication from the American University of Rome and is an Adjunct Professor of Christendom College. He teaches courses in strategic communications all over the world and is media consultant to both the Safeguarding Institute of the Pontifical Gregorian University and Rome Reports TV News Agency.
Dr. Hugh O’Donnell (Guest Lecturer)
Dr. O'Donnell is an Associate Professor of Theology at Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia. He teaches courses on Scripture, Catholic Doctrine, Moral Theology, and Apologetics. His research-writing interests include Angelology, the Church Fathers, the theology of Saint Bonaventure, and the thought of Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI.
Prof. Mike Brown (Guest Lecturer)
Professor Mike Brown is an assistant professor with the Department of Philosophy at Christendom College.
Fr. Columba Jordan, CFR: Chaplain
Father Columba Jordan, CFR, is a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal (CFR) originally from County Kildare, Ireland. He currently serves at St. Patrick’s Friary in Limerick, Ireland, focusing on youth outreach, vocational discernment, preaching, and evangelization.
Mrs. Catherine O’Donnell
Mrs. O’Donnell has been a travel coordinator to Ireland, Italy, and other European countries for the last 20+ years. A founding staff member of the St. Columcille Institute and now Program Coordinator, she is available to assist attendees throughout the program.
ITINERARY
The institute will be conducted at Star of the Sea retreat center in July 2027.
July 23: Depart for Dublin from Washington-Dulles (or your local airport).
July 24: Arrive Dublin airport and take bus to Our Lady Star of the Sea, Co. Sligo (18 nights)
August 12: Leave Mullaghmore for overnight in Knock.
August 13: Depart Knock for Dublin.
August 15: Return to the United States.
Other Travel
- The scenic and historic Glen Columcille
- The Blue Stack Mountains
- The historical Donegal Castle and Monastery
- The ancient kings’ residence and sun temple of Grianan of Aileach
- The spectacular cliffs of Bunglass, among the highest sea cliffs in Europe
- The historic Doe Castle and Lough Swilly
- The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at Doon Mass Rock and Holy Well
- County Mayo and Croagh Patrick
- The site of Our Lady’s apparition at Knock (with Mass)
- Dublin
- Kilmainham Jail
View Full itinerary here.
OUR PATRON
SEE PICTURES FROM PAST INSTITUTES
Click an album to browse photos from recent summers in Ireland, or explore all Christendom albums on Flickr.
2024 Institute
426 photos from Summer 2024
2021 Institute
145 photos from Summer 2021
2019 Institute
188 photos from Summer 2019
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
What students and faculty say about their summer at the Institute.
“To everyone who is considering the St. Columcille Institute, I highly recommend going. This will be an experience that will challenge your faith, allow you to see a beautiful country, and give you a chance to make new friends.”
“I was really amazed that the Institute managed to seamlessly combine elements of academic study, contemplative retreat, religious pilgrimage, wilderness adventure, and yes, delightful fun and merry-making.”
“The few weeks I spent at the Institute were honestly some of the best weeks of my life. The academics were outstanding; the teachers presented the fascinating subject material in such a clear and attractive way.”
“The experience was simply life-changing, due to these people that I’ve met. I have made friends that I’ll have forever now, even if they live in different continents.”
“Just by existing — by being in Ireland — the St. Columcille Institute is helping us … We don’t have anything like Christendom here, and for Christendom to come over here for three weeks during the summer makes such a big difference to, and for, the Irish people.”
“The incredible excursion to Gola Island and visit to our host’s house afterwards was my personal highlight … It was such a powerful experience of Irish hospitality and genuine care for visitors in their beautiful homeland.”
Your summer in Ireland awaits.
Join young Catholic leaders from the United States and Ireland for three weeks of study, faith, and adventure on Donegal Bay.