Pontifical Beda College

At the annual Academic Mass today, Vice Chancellor of St Mary's University, Francis Campbell, praised the acheivements of Beda students in the past year and personally congratulated each successul graduate. He also spoke of the valued links between St Mary's and the Beda and thanked the college for the contribution it makes to the life of the University. Congratulations to the Fourth year students who recieved a Batchelor of Theology degree, and to last year's Fourth Year who achieved their Graduate Diploma.

The final event of the First Year induction was a trip yesterday to two important monasteries in Subiaco. Guided tours were provided in Sacro Speco where St Benedict lived for three years in a cave and in the neighbouring monastery of St Scholastica. One special moment for us was to see a relic of a bone of St Bede which is in St Scholastica monastery. The heavy downpour of rain for most of the day didn't detract from these very interesting and enjoyable visits.

To mark 120 years of being called the 'Beda', and on the anniversary of the of the opening of the present building by Pope St John XXIII in 1960, Professor Karen Kilby gave a lecture to staff, students and invited guests on "St Bede and St Romero, Stories of Vocation". Professor Kilby holds the Bede Chair of Catholic Theology at Durham University and her inspiring talk explored the joys and sufferings of vocation through the contrasting lives of Bede and Romero. Click the title above to link to an audio recording of the lecture.

Beda staff and students attended the Papal Mass in St Peter's Square this morning when seven new saints were canonised including St Paul VI and St Oscar Romero. On a bright sunny morning we took advantage of our residence in Rome to join thousands of pilgrims from all over the world who had come specially to celebrate and honour these models of Christian life. The memory of this truly special event will inspire us, and everyone who took part, long into the future.