Program Prerequisite: RES 345

RES 345 - Global Catholicism: Pursuing Justice, Seeking Holiness, Building Community will be offered in the Spring 2025 semester, and will directly tie into this program. Undergraduate students who have previously completed this course are also eligible to participate in this program. The Summer A program itself is a zero credit lab, associated with this course, meaning this is a non-credit bearing program.

Course description: This course invites you to explore the cutting-edge questions of our time through the rich cultural and intellectual legacy of Catholicism. We will focus on Catholic thinkers and activists from around the globe who are reimagining this legacy as they respond to the opportunities and crises of our time. Why do they engage our environmental crisis, issues of race, ethnicity, and gender, the reality of poverty, homelessness, and mass incarceration through Catholic social teachings? What have they to teach us about the significant relationship between science and faith? How does the “Catholic imagination” inspire artists, musicians, and authors to express the joys and anxieties of our time? What can we learn about the power of dialogue between persons of different spiritual traditions who share a commitment to justice and peace? The course takes us Rome and Assisi to continue our study in two cities that offer unique insights into the meaning and significance of Catholicism today.

NOTE: This program is a 0-credit lab associated with the RES.345 course. To participate in this program, you must enroll in RES.345 for the Spring 2025 semester. By enrolling in the course, you are not required to participate nor guaranteed a spot on the trip.

This program will run from June 8-21, 2025.

This is the itinerary for 2025. It is subject to change in 2027.

Departure : Departure from Nazareth via campus vans mid-day for Toronto for an overnight flight to Rome. 

Day 1: Arrival in Rome around noon. Get settled in with an orientation and lunch at ACU campus. Eat food, drink espresso, and enjoy people watching in one of the many piazzas nearby. Explore the Trastevere Neighborhood. Visit Basilica di Santa Cecilia Angelus. Night walk of Rome. Enjoy your first gelato. Dinner at ACU. Early to sleep!

Day 2:  Rome with Alan Pascuzzi, a local artist, guide and Nazareth Alum!

Breakfast at ACU. Off to the infamous Colosseum for a 2 hour visit.  Leave the Colosseum for Saints Cosmas and Damian. Lunch at F.lli Livio Pizza E Panini. Visit the Roman Forum. Thento a host of different sites: Roman San Clemente, Saint Peter in Chains, Saint Praxedes, Saint Mary Major and finally Pasticceria Regoli. Enjoy a Sweet Snack @ Pasticceria Regoli. Van back to ACU for dinner. 

Day 3: Papal Audience

Early Breakfast at ACU. Van to St. Peter's Basilica. Papal Audience at 9:00 which will be a very special experience. Lunch at Marcantoni Ristorante Pizzeria and of course gelato afterwards. Explore the crypt at St. Peters. Meeting with Sr Raffaella Petrini,  the Governorate of Vatican City State. Sr. Raffaella Petrini of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist (F.S.E.), as the Secretary General of the government of Vatican City State is the first woman to hold this position. She currently teaches Welfare Economics and Sociology of Economic Processes at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Angelicum. She holds a Doctorate in Social Sciences from the Angelicum in Rome; a Master of Science in Organizational Behavior, Barney School of Business, University of Hartford (CT), USA, and a Degree in Political Science (specializing in Industrial Relations) from LUISS in Rome. Dinner near the Vatican at Alpassetto di Borgo.

Day 4: Judaism and Catholicism 

Early Breakfast at ACU, followed by a 30 min walk to the Great Synagogue of Rome. Walking tour of Old Jewish Quarter in Rome and the Rome Ghetto. Visit the town of Pitigliano or "Little Jerusalem" via train. Discuss Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust in Italy. Lunch at Antica Salumeria. After lunch, visit the Basilica Sanctae Mariae supra Minervam -  Visit Catherine of Siena. See Michelangelo’s marble sculpture of Cristo della Minerva, or Christ the Redeemer, next to the pulpit. Visit cloister if it’s open. Then its off to the Pantheon. Visit the Church of Sant'Ignazio di Loyola.  The Church of the Gesu for an evening mass. Gelato @ Giolitti. Walk back to ACU and dinner is on your own.

Day 5:  Departure from Rome to Florence by train.

Breakfast on own at Train Station. Arrive in Florence mid morning and drop off bags at Hotel Pendini. Lunch at SandwiChic and  Then we are off to see the famous Duomo. Meet at the Baptistery for a Walking Tour with Alan, our guide. Visit the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Ponte Vecchio bridge, tview Michelangelo's David, and stop at many other famous sites throughout the city. Then Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze - Gallery of the Academy of Florence. Check into the Hotel and clean up. Dinner at latini firenze. Sunset over the city at Piazzale Michelangelo

Day 6: Continuation of full tour of Florence.

Breakfast at hotel then off to Gallery Uffizi, including the famous Michaelangelo statue of David. Lunch at Trattoria I Raddi.  Visit the Pascuzzi Art Studio and enjoy a Fresco experience with Alan. Dinner is on your own. Free time in Florence 

Day 7: Florence back to Rome

Breakfast at Hotel. Morning Mass at San Miniato al Monte or at the Duomo. Lunch at  Gusta Pizza. Tour the Basilica of Santa Maria Novello. Depart for Rome in the late afternoon and arrive for dinner at ACU. 

Day 8: Rome sites

Breakfast at ACU and then to St. Peters for the Dome climb. Holy Mass at Altar of the Cathedral. Lunch at Angry Pig and off to the Spanish Steps. Bottega del Marmoraro. Bone Crypt, Church of Santa Maria della Vittoria and "St. Teresa in Ecstasy" sculpture by Bernini. Walk to Piazza Navona. Free Time in Rome and Dinner on own. 

Day 9:  Day trip to Termini: Discussing Faith and Science.

Early quick breakfast at Train Station. Shuttle bus to Termini. Arrive at Castel Gandolfo station walk towards Piazza della Liberta. Tour at Specola Vaticana University.  Vatican Observatory at Castel Gandolfo with Br. Guy Consolmagno. Late Breakfast at Pasticceria Castello Di Liberati S.&C.. Palace and Secret Garden Tour. Lunch at  Castel Gandolfo. Depart Castel Gandolfo  for Rome. Dinner at ACU

Day 10: More spectacular Rome sites

Breakfast at ACU. Van pick up and off to  Basilica di Santa Sabina all'Aventino and Savello Park. Drive to Catacomb Domitilla Soverdi. Drive to Park of the Aqueducts. Boxed lunch. Drive to the Sistine Chapel for the afternoon. Dinner at Rione.

Day 11: Departure from Rome to Assisi.

On the way into Assisi, visit Basilica di S. Maria degli Angeli. Basilica of St. Francis and the San Damiano Convent. Dinner at Locanda del Podesta. Overnight at Casa Papa Giovanni.

Day 12: Full day spent exploring Assisi.

Basilica of St. Clare. Memorial Museum. Lunch. Taxi to Eremo delle Carceri - Francis’ hermitage. Sacro Speco di San Francesco - Narni. Dinner at Leterrazze di Properzio.

Day 13: Early morning departure from Assisi directly to Rome airport for departure flight back to Toronto. Arrival back to Nazareth campus. Welcome home!

Students will be housed on the Australian Catholic University - Rome campus for a majority of the program. This location will serve as the base of operations for the program. Accommodations for the multi-day trip to Assisi will also be arranged as part of the program.

The cost for this trip in 2025 was $2950.00. This is subject to change in 2027. 

Program Fee Includes:

• Round trip airfare
• All hotels and accommodation
• All meals part of the itinerary
• All in-country transportation
• All projects, activities, workshops, tours, museum entry, etc.
• Travel Insurance

Not Included:

• Passport (must be valid at least 6 months past the return date of the program). Contact Josh Fess as soon as possible for assistance with applying for or renewing your passport.
• Additional meals (meals not in the itinerary)
• Miscellaneous expenses (such as souvenirs, personal care items, etc.)

Students who are SPARK eligible will receive the $1,500 grant from the Center for Life's Work. 

Students who are non SPARK eligible will be eligible for funding from the Center for International Education.  

Payment timeline is to be determined for 2027.