Mission Report 2024
Walking Together
From its foundation, The Lay Centre has been a place where people from diverse cultural, religious, and geographical backgrounds meet, live, and grow together in dialogue. Academic year 2023-2024 was no exception.
The theme guiding us was “Together”, inspired by the ecumenical vigil in St. Peter’s Square on September 30, convened by Pope Francis to inaugurate the Synod on Synodality.
At a time marked by conflict and division, The Lay Centre continues to be a space of unity—reminding us that we belong to one human family, one Church, and that together, we can go further. This report highlights how our community life, programs, and events have nurtured young lay leaders and strengthened their engagement with the Church and the world.
Laity in the World
Our residential community is at the heart of The Lay Centre.
Here is an overview of the academic year 2023-2024.
Nationalities
Residents
Specializations
Countries Represented
Lay Leadership
Orientation, Leadership Week in September 2023
The first week of the academic year at The Lay Centre was full of activities aimed at strengthening the residential community and providing practical orientation about life in Rome. Under the theme, “Together: Lay Leaders in Christian Perspective,” community members united in a shared journey, from September 25 to October 1, to set the tone for the academic year. Activities included:
1 - Pilgrimage and Mass
At St. Peter’s Basilica, including a private visit to the tomb of the apostle guided by Rev. Agnello Stoia, O.F.M. Conv., parish priest of St. Peter’s.
2 - Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development
A visit to the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, reflecting on the Church’s mission to uphold human dignity.
3 - Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere
Guided tour of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere and the underground site of San Cosimato, led by art historian and Lay Centre operations manager Christiaan Santini.
4 - Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls
A visit to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, also led by Christiaan Santini.
5 - Workshop on safeguarding
Led by Dr. Angela Rinaldi, from the Institute of Anthropology (IADC) of the Pontifical Gregorian University, emphasizing the importance of building safe Church environments.
6 - An evening of ecumenical prayer
With Taizé volunteers and guests from various Christian traditions, culminating in the ecumenical vigil with Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square.
Summer Lay Leadership Week in July 2024
For the fourth time, The Lay Centre hosted a weeklong program dedicated to the personal and professional development of young lay leaders discerning their call to Church life and service. The “Summer Lay Leadership Week,” held July 5–12, welcomed participants from 13 countries—including Colombia, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Italy, Lebanon, and the United States—alongside Lay Centre residents and special guests.
Co-designed with Letty Garcia of Harvard Business School’s Leadership Initiative and co-sponsored for the first time by Loyola University Chicago’s Institute of Pastoral Studies (IPS), the program drew on both spiritual and leadership development frameworks.
“The program empowered me from within, helped me understand myself better first, a renewing of the spirit – mind, body and soul – in order to continue loving, serving and leading others,” one participant wrote in their evaluation form.
Participants reflected on their own leadership journey, rooted in faith and community. Sessions offered tools from both pastoral and professional contexts, encouraging greater self-awareness, discernment, and relationship-building. Through small group work, site visits to Rome’s sacred spaces, and shared moments of prayer, participants grew in understanding of authentic leadership in a synodal Church.
“The program was profoundly beneficial, offering me the crucial conversations I needed most. It enabled me to recognize, evaluate, and harness my talents and knowledge, lighting a path through both current and future challenges in my leadership journey. At the end I am departing with a well developed curiosity to explore more as a lay leader,” another participant wrote.
Prayer was woven throughout the week, including Taizé prayer and Eucharistic celebrations led by Rev. Douglas Marcouiller, SJ, and Rev. Edmund Power, OSB.
Our Lay Leadership Fellows
Through the generosity of its benefactors, The Lay Centre coordinates three scholarship-fellowship programs that continue to be important catalysts in stimulating lay people in the academic and professional world of the Church in Rome. In 2023-2024 this program welcomed 11 participants, providing full or partial financial support. They came from Argentina, Ethiopia, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain.
Leadership Scholars
Scholars of the pontifical universities whose focus is academic excellence, although without neglecting an outward approach to others, either in the community or outside of it.
Impact Fellows
Community members who, besides their academic program, will be carrying out a project of impact in a Church institution, social enterprise or Catholic NGO.
Vatican Fellows
Young professionals whose main activity, for a year, will be to carry out a formative work experience in one of the Holy See or Church institutions in Rome.
Laity in the Church
Community Evening Highlights
The Lay Centre chose “Together” as the theme that inspired community activities of the academic year 2023-2024. This was the title of an ecumenical prayer vigil organized by the Taizé Community in September 2023 gathering young people in Rome to pray for the Church and the Synod of Synodality, whose first concluding assembly was in October 2023.
Among the guests who took part in our community nights, it is worth highlighting the visit of then-Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, O.S.A., who at the time was prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops. On May 15, 2024 — the anniversary of the encyclical Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII — he presided over the Eucharist and dined with our community. Before closing the evening, as is tradition, he spoke to us about his work at the Dicastery and the need to promote co-responsibility and unity among the different members of the Church. We received the news of his election to the papacy with great joy, almost a year later, on May 8, 2025, as well as his choice of the name Leo XIV.
These are the guests, celebrants and speakers that our community welcomed over the academic year
Vatican Connections
- Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, OSA (USA), prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops
- Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça (Portugal), prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education
- Bishop Paul Tighe (Ireland), secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education – Culture section;
- Sister Raffaella Petrini, FSE (Italy), secretary general of Vatican City State
- Mons. Lucio Ruiz (Argentina), secretary of the Dicastery for Communication
- Christiane Murray (Brazil), vice director of the Holy See Press Office
- Cardinal Fabio Baggio, CS (Italy), under-secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
- Chiara Porro (Australia), Australian ambassador to the Holy See
Annemieke Ruigrok (Netherlands), Dutch ambassador to the Holy See
University friends
- Rev. Thomas Joseph White, OP, rector of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum)
- Dr. Alessandra Campo (Italy), professor at the Institute of Anthropology (IADC) at the Pontifical Gregorian University
- Rev. Vivian Boland, OP (Ireland), director emeritus of the Aquinas Institute, currently a member of the Dominican community at San Clemente
- Dr. Debora Tonelli (Italy), the Georgetown University representative in Rome
- Rev. Daniel Huang, SJ (Philippines), missiology professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University
- Rev. Rocco D’Ambrosio (Italy), diocesan priest and political philosophy professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University
- Dr. Isabella Santini (Italy), statistical economics emeritus professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University and Sapienza Università di Roma
- Rev. Michael Rossman, SJ (USA), digital evangelizer, he did his doctorate at the Pontifical Gregorian University, author of “The Freedom of Missing Out”
- Rev. Piotr Janas, OP (Ireland), vice dean of the faculty of social sciences at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), expert in Church and economics
- Rev. Andreas Lind, SJ (Portugal), theology professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University
- Rev. Rafael Starnitzky (Italy/Germany), assistant professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University, expert in Jewish-Christian dialogue
- Gerardo Ferrara (Italy), writer, historian, essayist, translator. He manages the student counseling and development office at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce)
Other friends
- Cardinal Joseph Tobin, C.S.s.R. (USA), archbishop of Newark and Lay Centre Board member. He participated in the Synod in October 2023
- Bishop Lesanu-Christos Matheos (Ethiopia), Catholic bishop of Bahir Dar-Dessie
- Dr. Austen Ivereigh (UK), journalist, author and biographer of Pope Francis
- Rev. Nuno da Silva Gonçalves, SJ (Portugal), director of La Civiltà Cattolica
- Claudio Betti (Italy) and Elizabeth Boyle (USA), members of the Community of Sant’Egidio
- Rev. Fr. Míċéal O’Neill, O.Carm. (Ireland), prior general of the Carmelite Order
- Rev. Doug Marcoullier, SJ (USA.), general counselor and regional assistant for the U.S.A. Assistancy at the Jesuit Curia in Roma
- Donna Kempt (USA) and Mervat Kelly (Syria), members of the Focolare Movement
- Rev. James Hanvey, SJ (Ireland), the secretary for the Service of Faith for the Society of Jesus
- Rev. Lawrence Rywalt, CP (USA.), Passionist priest and member of the St. John and Paul community in Rome
- Rev. Edmund Power, OSB (UK), member of the Benedictine Community of Sant’Anselmo, Abbot Emeritus of St. Paul Outside the Walls
- Rev. Michele Gianola (Italy), undersecretary at the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI)
- Rev. Michel Remery (Netherlands), Diocesan priest from Rotterdam, digital evangelizer
Community Retreats
Walking with the disciples of Emmaus
The academic year began with a retreat in the peaceful Capuchin cloister in Frascati, led by Rev. Fernando Millán Romeral, O.Carm., theology professor at the Universidad Pontificia Comillas, in Spain. Drawing on the Gospel story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, he guided participants in personal reflection, prayer, and spiritual conversation.
Participants engaged deeply, sharing insights, joining in private conversations, and praying through forms such as lectio divina, Taizé chants, Adoration, the Liturgy of the Hours, and Mass.
“Our final session—exploring depictions of the Emmaus story by Caravaggio, Velázquez, and Rembrandt—offered a new spiritual dimension,” noted Karina Gandur, a student of ecumenism at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
As the weekend ended, each participant shared a spiritual insight and a “pearl of wisdom” to carry into the year ahead.
‘God leads us to freedom’
The Lenten retreat, held February 23–25 at Centro Ad Gentes in Nemi, was led by Rev. Daniel Huang, S.J., a professor of missiology at the Pontifical Gregorian University. Drawing on Pope Francis’ Lenten message, “Through the Desert God Leads Us to Freedom,” Fr. Huang focused on themes of freedom, identity, and light.
In a standout session, he invited participants to root their identity not in performance or public perception, but in the truth of being beloved children of God. Drawing from the wisdom of St. John Henry Newman, he challenged false narratives that prevent authentic freedom.
The first evening ended with Adoration. A reflection written by Mother Teresa and sacred music enhanced this time for personal prayer. The weekend also included daily Eucharistic celebrations, Taizé-style prayer around the cross, and time for rest, reflection, and fellowship—whether walking the town of Nemi or resting in silence.
Remembering the Gifts of our Baptism
To close the academic year, The Lay Centre community gathered for a special Eucharistic celebration centered on the mystery of Baptism. Presided over by Rev. Andreas Lind, S.J., the liturgy served as a moment of prayerful unity and gratitude for The Lay Centre’s mission, its supporters, and intentions received throughout the year. It marked what we hope will become a new tradition—ending the year by recalling what binds us together as members of the Body of Christ. In remembering our Baptism, we were reminded of our shared call to be the “light of the world” (Mt 5:14).
Visit to Underground Lakes of the Temple of Claudius
For the first time, Lay Centre residents, staff, and friends explored the underground lakes of the Temple of Claudius—hidden beneath the Passionist grounds where The Lay Centre is located. The visit offered a unique opportunity to connect with the deep historical layers of Rome and those who once walked its subterranean paths.
Laity in Dialogue
Catholic Higher Education: ACCU Rome Seminar 2024
From May 26–30, The Lay Centre partnered once again with the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) for its biennial Rome Seminar. The program offers presidents, senior administrators, and faculty leaders a unique opportunity to explore the Church’s intellectual and spiritual legacy, while engaging directly with key figures in the Vatican and Rome’s academic institutions.
This year’s seminar included a historic first: a private audience with Pope Francis. The Holy Father expressed his appreciation for Catholic colleges and universities, encouraged them to remain rooted in their mission, and held an informal dialogue with participants. The program also featured discussions with prominent Vatican leaders, Church scholars, and journalists—including Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Sr. Nathalie Becquart, Cardinal Michael Czerny, and others—who offered insights on synodality, global engagement, and the future of Catholic higher education.
Called, Chosen, Sent: Austen Ivereigh in dialogue with young adults
The Lay Centre and the University of Notre Rome co-sponsored a public event on March 13, 2024, titled “Called, Chosen, Sent: What is the source of our hope?” During the session, Dr. Austen Ivereigh discussed some themes of his new book, “First Belong to God: On Retreat with Pope Francis,” and engaged in a conversation with young adults. A UK-based journalist and author specializing in the Catholic Church and the papacy of Francis, Ivereigh writes regularly for several international publications.
Open Day: Dies Academicus 2023-2024
On November 25, The Lay Centre hosted “Dies Academicus 2023,” a day of intellectual exchange and community. Four Lay Centre residents presented their academic research and discussed them with those present. The recordings of the presentations are available on The Lay Centre’s YouTube channel.
- Daniela Niño Giraldo (Colombia), a philosophy student at Santa Croce, explored the theory of temperaments—phlegmatic, sanguine, choleric, and melancholic—and their impact on personal development.
- Filip Veber (Slovenia), a theology doctoral student at Santa Croce, examined Joseph Ratzinger’s idea of “Creative Christian Minorities” as a path for renewing European Christianity.
- Maria Rocha (Portugal), studying philosophy at the Angelicum, reflected on revelation in the lives of St. Augustine and Paul Claudel, drawing from the work of Jean-Luc Marion.
- Elia Gittardi, a history student at the Gregorian University, presented on Litterae Indipetae—letters from Jesuit missionaries expressing a desire for martyrdom, especially in Japan.
Pope Francis praised Rome communities that host Orthodox students
On January 12, 2024, Dr. Filipe Domingues, then deputy director of The Lay Centre, and resident Karina Gandur, a Russian-Lebanese ecumenism student at the Pontifical Gregorian University, greeted Pope Francis during a private Vatican audience. The event, marking the 60th anniversary of the Catholic Committee for Cultural Collaboration, celebrated its scholarship support for Orthodox students in Rome. Pope Francis thanked Catholic communities for their openness and care in welcoming these students.
Joint Event on Christian Unity
Among the activities for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18-25), The Lay Centre joined Centro Pro Unione in hosting its annual event, which this year had the theme “Synodality at Your Fingertips — Sinodalità ‘a portata di mano’.” Three speakers shared a variety of experiences on synodality, in theory and practice:
- Dr. Tamara Grdzelidz, professor at Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia; former ambassador of Georgia to the Holy See;
- Rev. Maurizio Mirilli, chaplain at the Policlinico Tor Vergata, Rome; former responsible for Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Rome;
- Dr. Rev. Vanessa Bayha, director of the Centro Melantone (Lutheran Church) in Rome.
The Lay Centre community prepared a Taizé-style prayer, inspired by the ecumenical vigil that opened the October 2023 Synod. This joint initiative continues a tradition begun in the 1960s by the Ladies of Bethany and the Friars of the Atonement—now carried forward by The Lay Centre.
Muslims and Christians in Dialogue
In July 2024, The Lay Centre revived its interreligious summer program, welcoming 23 students from Cambridge Muslim College (UK) and the University of Tübingen (Germany) for a week of dialogue and exploration.
From July 15–19, participants engaged with Catholic and Muslim leaders, explored key religious sites, and took part in sessions on faith, identity, mysticism, and dialogue among believers. Program highlights included visits to St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Basilicas, a tour of the Vatican Observatory focused on faith and science, and a discussion with the German ambassador to the Holy See on religion and diplomacy.
Our Vision
To inspire and prepare
future leaders to serve
the Church and the world.
Our Mission
We offer lay women and men a meaningful
experience of community life as well as impactful
programs for human, spiritual, intellectual and
professional development.
