The Rome Experience 2012 Courses

Reflections on Priestly Identity: Communion and Mission in the New Evangelization (.5 credit)
Focusing on the “identity-mission” of the priesthood, through a study of the spiritual and intellectual formation of the Church envisioned by Vatican II, this course aims at demonstrating the requirement that every priest “see the need for a progressive identification with Christ that will guarantee him fidelity and fruitfulness in the evangelical testimony”. (Pope Benedict XVI) Concrete examples will be drawn from the lives and writings of Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II, St. John the Vianney, and St. Josemaria Escriva.
Instructor: Rev. David W. Kime, Diocese of Gary; Pastor, St. Joseph Church, La Porte, Indiana

Priest as Minister of Divine Mercy after the Sacred Heart of Christ (1 credit)
The priest, as the minister Divine Mercy, is called in a special way to be a priest “after the heart of Christ.” To deepen the awareness of this essential dimension of priestly identity, this course will seek to convey the following: familiarize the student with the doctrinal foundation for the devotion to the Sacred Heart; examine the historical development of the devotion, beginning with the revelation given us by St. Margaret Mary; rigorously explore magisterial teaching concerning the importance and role of the devotion to the Sacred Heart and the life of the church in the life of the priest; and, present the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a gift of the merciful Heart of Christ for both priest and penitent.
Instructor: Dr. Timothy T. O’Donnell, STD, KGCHS, President, Christendom College, Front Royal, Virginia

The Word of God and the New Evangelization (1 credit)
The course is designed to develop and understand theology through the Bible and will be coordinated with the theme of the program each year.
Instructor: Rev. Pablo Gadenz, Diocese of Trenton; Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies, Immaculate Conception Seminary, South Orange, New Jersey

Vatican II: Historical Context and the Hermeneutic of Reform (1 credit)
The course is designed to develop an understanding of the Second Vatican Council from a historical perspective. Additionally, Hermeneutic of Reform will be reviewed as presented by Pope John XXIII in his speech inaugurating the Council; by Pope Paul VI in his discourse at the conclusion of the Council; and, Pope Benedict XVI in his address to the Roman Curia December 2005. This hermeneutic will then be applied to specific passages of Dei Verbum in relation to the Council of Trent and Dei Filius of Vatican I.
Instructor: Rev. John Heisler, Diocese of Arlington; Vice Rector, Pontifical College Josephinum, Columbus, Ohio

Pastoral Practice Seminar (.5 credit)
The seminar will help the seminarian bridge the gap between the theological and spiritual principles learned on The Rome Experience with the lived experience of a parish priest. The goal is to assist the seminarian to understand his future responsibility as a priest to imitate and live out Christ’s own pastoral charity. A pastoral charity that, in essence, requires a total gift of self to the Church and that makes special demands on the parish priest. (Pastores Dabo Vobis, 1992)
Instructor: Rev. Eric Nielsen, Diocese of Madison; Director, St. Paul University Catholic Center, Madison, Wisconsin

Historical and Cultural Roots of the Roman Catholic Church (1 credit)
Over a series of lectures (listed below), this course explores the development of the early Christian church in the context of Rome and its monuments. From the earliest meeting houses of the persecuted Christian community, this class studies the development of the worship space after the Edict of Constantine to the fourth and fifth century Basilicas. A special focus highlights the use of architecture to define Christianity and its unique vision of the relationship between God and man.

• Kingdoms of this World: Form and Meaning in Ancient Architecture
• From Marble to Brick: The First Christian Churches
• Art in the Age of Heresy: Art and Architecture in 5th Century Rome
• Roots of Iconoclasm
• Iconoclasm in the Modern Era
• What Makes the City Eternal?
• Renewal and Regeneration in the History of Rome
• The Role of the Religious
• Rise of Renaissance Rome
• The Glory of the See of Peter: The Renaissance in Rome
• The Paradigm of the Sistine Chapel

Instructor: Elizabeth Lev, Art Historian; Instructor, University of St. Thomas-Catholic Studies Rome Program, Italy

Pilgrimages and Tours of the Churches, Art and Architecture of Ancient Rome (.5 credit)
In the General Audience on August 30, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI explained that, “Some artistic expressions are real highways to God, the supreme Beauty; indeed, they help us grow in our relationship with him, in prayer. These are works that were born from faith and express faith.” Through a series of church and site tours, this course provides an understanding of the art and architecture of the churches and other early Christian sites not only intellectually, but also spiritually and emotionally. Sacred art is intended to turn men’s minds devoutly toward God, and provides a devotional philosophy and theological understanding of the Catholic Church. Sites that will be visited include:

• St. Frances of Rome and the Mamertine Prison
• Basilica of St. Peter
• Basilica of St. Mary Major
• Basilica of St. Praxedes
• Basilica of St. Pudentiana
• Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, Three Fountains Abbey
• Basilica of St. John Lateran, Holy Stairs and Holy Cross
• Basilica of St. Clement
• Basilica of Our Lady in Trastevere and Church of St. Cecilia

Instructor and Guide: Dony Mac Manus, Artist and Founder of the Sacred Art School, Florence, Italy