Year of the Priesthood:
A Continuing Education Pilgrimage to Rome

Pope Benedict XVI has called for a special “Year for Priests” from June 19, 2009 – concluding with a celebration in St. Peter’s Square on June 11, 2010.  This year-long celebration offers a unique opportunity for dioceses, parishes, and seminaries to underscore the important resource priests are for the life of the Church.  All of us have a responsibility to celebrate, encourage and nurture priests as they face new challenges in the modern world and in the contemporary Church.

Illume collaborates with pastoral and lay leaders to bring priests and laypeople to places of great historical and religious significance as a way to further continuing education, nurture faith, build community and nurture ministry.  This is a sample seminar/program that can be offered to priests and seminarians in Rome.

Sample Program Objectives

Introduction to Rome:  Whether It's Your First or Second Time
On the day of arrival, the suggested program includes a walking tour of the central historical district of Rome – including Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (Michelangelo’s ‘The Resurrected Christ’), the Pantheon (one of the great innovations in religious architecture), San Luigi dei Francesi (Caravaggio – St. Matthew cycle) and Piazza Navona (with Bernini’s Four Rivers Fountain).

The Heritage of St. Peter in Rome
Suggested program today provides an opportunity to explore both St. Peter’s presence in Rome and the history of the Vatican.  The seminar includes a visit to the Scavi under St. Peter’s Basilica, a visit to the basilica itself, and a guided visit to the Vatican Museums – including the unparalleled collection of early Christian sarcophagi.

The Heritage of St. Paul in Rome
In addition to attending the papal audience, the suggested program envisions a visit to the great basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and a meeting with the archaeologist who supervised the excavations of St. Paul’s tomb.  Additional visits can include the Abbey of Tre Fontane and/or perhaps the Borghese Gallery with its spectacular Bernini sculptures.

Celebrating Our Common Priesthood
This day envisions an opportunity to visit a local parish in Rome and to learn about the pastoral practices, institutions, hopes and challenges of the local Roman presbyterate.

Christian Art in Rome
Today’s program includes a guided visit with a local art historian to some of the great mosaics of Roman churches – particularly Santa Maria in Trastevere, San Clemente (with its scavi), and Santa Maria Maggiore (boasting some of the oldest Christian mosaics in the world).  Other options are available as well.

Other Options
Illume collaborates with leaders to design retreats, seminars and other continuing education opportunities for clergy that incorporate other sites in Rome (additional early Christian sites, ancient Roman sites, and meetings with experts at Roman universities in history, archaeology, theology, interfaith work, priestly spirituality), other destinations in Italy, or programs in other places of great historical and religious significance – such as Israel, Turkey, Greece, Spain, and France.

Learn about other programs designed to support and nurture the Presbyterate.

Email or contact us to learn more about how we can customize this program for your specific interests.