Cultivating Our Catholic Identity:
Retreats, Seminars, Study Tours and Meetings in Rome
Catholic institutions draw from a rich heritage. They are shaped by important moments in history where visionary men and women led the way in advancing the Gospel, creating organizations responsive to the needs of their time. Travel to Rome is a powerful way for Catholic institutions to connect to their heritage, learn about great Church leaders, and explore the development of Catholic beliefs, practices, art and liturgy over the centuries.
Illume welcomes groups to Rome, providing on-site professional management of retreats, seminars, study tours, meetings and advancement events. Our Italy-based team facilitates special permissions and entrances to unique historical and religious venues and engages their network of local experts for guided visits. Bringing people to places of important historical and religious significance is a powerful way to inspire growth and change in individuals and groups and advance your institutional mission and objectives.
Program Objectives
Exploring Early Christian Rome
Illume's local Christian archaeologist will escort members of your organization through fascinating often overlooked sites where early Christians met, where some of the first Christian art is found, and where one can appreciate the historical and cultural context of the earliest Christians in Rome. These sites include the Basilica of San Clemente, the church of Saints Giovanni and Paolo, the catacombs of Saint Priscilla, and the Scavi under St. Peter's Basilica.
Celebrating the Legacy of Catholic Higher Education
Catholics have a long history of supporting higher education. This stems from a special appreciation for the relationship between reason, human nature and the divine. Many orders in the Catholic Church have historical institutions in Rome where noted figures have taught. Visits to these sites provide great opportunities for institutional advancement, celebration of anniversaries, and for thinking about the Catholic heritage of educational institutions.
Worshiping At Sites That Move the Spirit
Rome is the ideal venue for retreats and pilgrimages that combine educational and spiritual opportunities. Praying at historical venues is powerfully inspiring and builds community amongst those who gather together. These are great moments for building support for diocesan initiatives or for institutional development and mission.
Continuing Education
Illume's in-house religious studies scholar will help institutions develop exciting continuing education events in Rome for clergy, lay ministers, administrators and other groups. Combine expertly guided educational activities with spiritual and cultural ones that nurture mind, body and spirit.
Tracing the Artistic Genius of the Catholic Tradition
Since the earliest centuries of the Church, men and women have sought to give expression to their faith in stone, glass and pigment. Rome is unique in both the vastness of its collection of religious art and in its unbroken chronology from primitive times to the Renaissance and Baroque ages.
Not Your Ordinary Business Meeting
Enliven your next trustee or administrator meeting by convening it in Rome. Reward dedicated administrators and trustees with a meeting that not only covers a business agenda but incorporates opportunities for building community, fostering education, and generating excitement for your institution. Combine business meetings with advancement events, inviting benefactors or alumni.
Contact us for more information and/or to discuss an event you would like to plan.