ROME— Dozens of Filipino priests in Rome marked their college’s 65th anniversary with a pilgrimage to northern Italy.
The April 10–11 journey brought 44 student priests of the Pontificio Collegio Filippino, joined by religious sisters and lay collaborators, to sites linked to Pope St. John XXIII.
The group first visited the hilltop Basilica of Madonna della Corona before traveling to Bergamo, the birthplace of the pope known as the “Good Pope.”
The pilgrimage culminated April 11 at the Santuario Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII, marking the anniversary of the encyclical “Pacem in Terris.”
Promulgated in 1963 at the height of Cold War tensions, the encyclical called for peace founded on truth, justice, love and freedom.
The college traces its origins to Pope St. John XXIII, who established it in 1961 to support Filipino clergy pursuing advanced studies in Rome.
At Sotto il Monte, the group joined the local community for Mass presided over by the college’s rector, Fr. Gregory Gaston, with spiritual director Fr. Andrew Recepcion as homilist.
The pilgrimage concluded with prayers at the Garden of Peace before the group returned to Rome.
Established in June 1961, the Pontificio Collegio Filippino has since formed hundreds of Filipino priests sent by their bishops for advanced theological studies.
