The annual Beda Lecture was given last night by Dr Colette Limbrick and Mr Chris Pearson to mark the 59th anniversary of the opening of the Beda building. The title of the lecture was: "Changing Landscapes, New Horizens - The Safeguarding Journey". A celebration buffet of porchetta in the garden was enjoyed afterwards by all.

At the Beda in these last few days we have welcomed many visitors who have come for the Canonisation of John Henry Newman by Pope Francis. The joyful ceremony took place this morning in brilliant sunshine in a packed Piazza San Pietro.

Twenty two MPs from Westminster who are visiting Rome for the Canonisation of J H Newman, came to the Beda college today. After visiting St Paul's, they had drinks in the garden and then lunch with staff and students.

Special seats near the Pope and a public welcome for the Beda students marked the end of the induction of the new students this morning.

We were blessed yesterday by a visit of 44 pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Birmingham and the Anglican Diocese of Worcester. After Vespers and a guided tour of St Paul's, they joined us for drinks before enjoying a pizza supper at Pepperoncino.

Visits to Grottaferrata, Castelgandolfo, Nemi and the Catacombs of San Callisto were enjoyed in brilliant sunshine at the end of the first week of induction for new students.

We publish an article by Fr John Tabor, ordained for Westminster Diocese in 2018, in which he writes about his joy and fulfillment in his first year as a priest.

Students and staff celebrated Mass in the Crypt of St Peter's, followed by breakfast for all in a local cafe.

Following a welcome meal on Friday evening, the opening Mass for the new students took place this morning in St Paul's Basilica.

After a long summer break, college life is beginning to start again. For all our faithful followers, expect more news and updates over the coming weeks.

The Beda academic year 2018-19 ends today and students return to their homes and dioceses for pastoral work and holiday over the summer. News from the Beda will also take a rest and will return when the new semester begins in September. Thirty two photo albums from this year are available here (click the photo)

Ordinations to the diaconate took place today in St Paul’s Basilica. Adrian Lowe from Brentwood and Norman Allred from Meath in Ireland were ordained by Meath Bishop Tom, Deenihan, Congratulations to both new deacons. Click the picture above for 150 more photos of the day.

Eighteen Beda students are due to be ordained to the priesthood during the current calendar year. To see the list with the dates of ordination, click on this heading.

In the morning we celebrated Mass in the Shrine of Our Lady near Rome, Divino Amore. This was followed by a relaxed lunch by the sea and a visit to the British War Cemetery in Anzio. See photos here.

Friends, relatives and guests of the Beda community gathered in the evening sunshine for the annual barbecue. Click here to see photos of this event.

The traditional lunch to thank those who are leaving took place today. In turn the Student Dean, speaking on behalf of the twelve who are leaving this summer, thanked the staff, the other students and the personale for the support and help they had received in their four years here. We wish them all well as they move on to new pastures.

Two short YouTube pieces from Brendan's Ordination to priesthood on 31st May.

The 1st of June - and finally the sun is shining with some power after one of the coldest and dampest Mays on record here in Rome. The cooler weather has had some advantages: it has been more comfortable for studying during exam week and the mosquitos have kept their distance. But with exams due to finish on Monday, we hope that the warmer weather is here to stay. So far, the prospects are good for the Barbecue on Wednesday and the Rector's gita to Anzio on Thursday.

More than fifty guests gathered at the Beda today for our patronal feast. In his homily at Mass, Canon Gillespie highlighted the characteristic of St Bede of having great knowledge and at the same time, of operating out of love. After Mass, the college community and guests gathered in the garden on a cloudy but warm day for drinks prior to a sumptuous meal which did full justice to our patronal feast. Many thanks to all our extended Beda family for their best wishes and prayers on this our feast day.

The day the College photos are taken is usually guaranteed to be warm and sunny - but not today! As thunder sounded in the distance during Mass and the sunshine struggled against a foreboding sky, the decision was taken to risk taking the photos in the garden. With some haste the college group and then each year group in turn lined up under the darkening clouds. As the shutter snapped on the final photo of First Year, the first big drops of rain began to fall. The storm angels had done their job!