On Sunday 21 January Monsignor Ciaran O’Carroll, rector of the Pontifical Irish College, Rome, welcomed guests to the College for a lecture on the near 400-year history of the College.
The event was organised by the Irish Club of Rome, a cultural association which hosts events for Irish people and friends of Ireland in Rome. As part of the event, Monsignor O’Carroll led the guests on a tour of the College grounds, as well as to the college chapel and the library, which was founded in 1639. Monsignor The Rector concluded the event with a lecture on the history of the college and its contribution to the Church both in Ireland and universally. Monsignor O’Carroll also outlined the current programme of formation for Irish and American seminarians.
The Pontifical Irish College, Rome, was founded in 1628 by Irish Franciscan, Fr Luke Wadding OFM and the Italian Cardinal, Ludivico Ludovisi, a nephew of Pope Gregory XV, and has been educating candidates for the priesthood for ministry in the twenty-six Irish dioceses for almost four hundred years. It is the only remaining Irish College on the continent of Europe functioning as a seminary.
Today the College is home to 60 students, with half coming from Ireland and the others representing many different nations. For more information on the Pontifical Irish College in Rome, see www.irishcollege.org.
ENDS