It is not only the buildings and ruins of the past which make Rome such a special place. The eternal city holds a worldwide attraction which draws in a variety of people.

There are the Church officials who work in the Vatican. Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, Monsignori Religious and lay men and women who come from every culture and continent of the world. The sense of the universality of the Church is tangible, just by walking through the streets. 

There are the lecturers and professors who staff the many pontifical colleges and universities. At the height of their careers, they bring a learning and knowledge which is unsurpassed anywhere else.

Currently at the Beda we have professors teaching for a few hours each week from the Alphonsianum, the Salesianum, PISAI (Vatican Arabic Study Centre), and we have several professors who work full time in the dicasteries of the Vatican. We also have close links with the Gregorian and Angelicum Universities. Nowhere else in the world is there such a concentration of ecclesiatical expertise.

As well as those working full time in Rome, occasional lecturers visit Rome and the opportunity for listening to their wisdom is often available for our students.

And finally there are the pilgrims, some simply on holiday, but many seeking to connect to something more spiritual as they flock to St Peter's Square to hear the Pope's Angelus message to to attend a Papal Audience.

Rome is truly multi-cultural and this is something that is reflected in the Beda community where, as well as having lecturers from many parts of the world, the students themselves come from many different backgrounds and cultures. Learning to accommodate to and live with people who are very different from ourselves empowers students to minister more effectively in the future in our multi-ethnic parishes and society.

Rome itself has so much to offer.

The ancient ruins which can be seen everywhere testify to the part Rome has played in the history of the world.

It is the centre of the Catholic Church worldwide, and the hundreds of churches, which seem to be on every corner and of every style, ancient and modern, hold an endless fascination for any visitor.

The tombs of Peter and Paul are here and the great basilicas still witness magnificent ceremonies and liturgies as they have done for centuries. The Basilica of St Paul is across the road from the Beda and our diaconate ordinations take place there every year.

The very stones of Rome speak of a timeless history, ecclesiastical and secular, which still continues to unfold now and into the future.