By Anastasia Pinto / Photo: Sara Staiano
Under the theme “Constellations of Hope,” the Jubilee of the World of Education at the Vatican inspired a renewed vision for educators, students, and scholars worldwide — with more than 15,000 participants registered for its events during the week of October 27 to November 1, 2025.
The Lay Centre had the profound privilege of taking part in this week-long series of activities organized by the Dicastery for Culture and Education. As an academic community, The Lay Centre embraced each moment as an opportunity to reflect, to learn, and to grow both intellectually and spiritually.
Among the many events, members of our community took part in Pope Leo XIV’s Mass with students from Rome’s pontifical universities; the international congress “Educational Constellations: A Pact for the Future”; the Holy Father’s audience with educators; and a prayer service organized by our community at the Church of San Lorenzo in Piscibus, as part of the initiative known as the “School of the Heart.”
A Vision That Looks Upward and Beyond
A key highlight for us was attending the papal Eucharistic celebration at St. Peter’s Basilica on October 27, together with students and educators from the universities directly connected to the Holy See in Rome.
In his homily, Pope Leo XIV posed a profound question: “What is the grace that can touch the life of a student, a researcher, a scholar?” He then offered a response: “It is the grace of an overarching vision — a perspective capable of grasping the horizon, of looking beyond.”
He encouraged us, as pilgrims on this academic journey, to lift our gaze, broaden our horizons, and embrace a vision that looks upward — toward God, toward others, and toward the mystery of life revealed through learning — and to never stop seeking the truth.
The School of the Heart: “Remain in My Love”
“What we receive while we are searching for the truth and devoting ourselves to study helps us to discover that we are not creatures cast by chance into the world, but that we belong to Someone who loves us and who has a plan of love for our lives.” – Pope Leo XIV
We were also blessed with the opportunity to lead one of the prayer moments during The School of the Heart, a two-day gathering of prayer and reflection held at San Lorenzo in Piscibus. The initiative invited participants to rediscover the heart as the interior sanctuary where each person encounters the Lord. It also echoed Pope Francis’ vision of Catholic education, which, in his words, forms the human person through “mind, hands, and heart.”
The Lay Centre’s prayer service, themed “Remain in My Love,” offered a moment of prayer, stillness, and communion as we reflected on the Gospel reading from John 15. Our time together included periods of silence, meditations drawn from the apostolic exhortation Delexi Te, and a heartfelt prayer chain in which we prayed for one another.
Constellations of Learning and Light
During the same program, Dr. Donna Orsuto, co-founder and senior advisor of The Lay Centre, offered a catechesis inspired by the life of St. John Henry Newman, who during this Jubilee was proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV as the 38th Doctor of the Church.
Attending that Holy Mass was a moment of great joy for us, as we hold close to the words of Pope Leo XIV from his homily: “I wish to say to teachers and educational institutions: ‘Shine today like stars in the world,’ through your authentic commitment to the collective search for truth and to sharing it with generosity and integrity.”
During the audience with Pope Leo XIV with Educators, he highlighted the importance of interiority, unity, love, and joy, principles that, as he expressed, “should become the key elements of our journey together, making this meeting the beginning of a shared path of mutual growth and enrichment.”
In addition to these moving spiritual experiences, the director of The Lay Centre, Dr. Filipe Domingues, attended the international congress titled “Educational Constellations: A Pact with the Future,” a day dedicated to dialogue and reflection on the role of education in shaping a hopeful future for humanity.
Click to access videos and speeches from the international event.
