Study Abroad - Spring Break 2023; Italy in the Footsteps of the Saints
Friday, October 14, 2022
"In the Spring 2022 semester, Catholic Studies was the first department at Seton Hall to run a study abroad trip since the onset of the pandemic," explained Ines Murzaku, Ph.D., Director of the Catholic Studies Program. "The trip was very successful, as were all of our study abroad experiences in past years. We are excited to continue the tradition of offering our students the opportunity to experience Christianity from a different vantage point—this time, allowing them to see our faith and the world from the perspectives of the saints in Italy."
In addition to affording students the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the saints in Italy, visiting some of Italy’s most significant basilicas, tombs, archaeological sites, and artistic and architectural wonders, this study tour will offer additional means of spiritual enrichment. Students will have time for prayer and reflection at Lanciano, the site of an important Eucharistic Miracle, and will attend Sunday Mass at St. Peter’s in Rome, followed by the Angelus with Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square.
Registration Details
The Department of Catholic Studies is pleased to present Italy in the Footsteps of the Saints: CAST 3998; RELS 3998; CORE 3762/ HONS Seminar. This is a faculty-led study abroad in Italy. This three-credit course/study abroad trip will take place from March 1-March 13, 2023. This course can be taken as CAST/RELS and as CORE 3 (for those who have taken CORE 1 and CORE 2) and HONS Seminar. The group will meet for classes prior to and after the study abroad experience (day and time will be determined).
On this trip, Dr. Murzaku will join students on a flight from Newark to Rome. From there, the group will take a private bus to Naples, beginning their exploration of Italy in the footsteps of the saints. After a visit to the Archaeological Museum and the Cappella San Severo in Naples, the group will witness the excavations in Pompeii. Accommodations during this leg of the journey will be at the Hotel Castello di Septe, originally a medieval castle. After visiting Lanciano (the site of an important Eucharistic Miracle), the Shrine of St. Michael the Archangel, and the tomb of St. Padre Pio, the group will proceed to Assisi.
Highlights of the group’s time in Assisi will include visits to the Basilicas of St. Francis, St. Rufino, and St. Clare, as well as the Church of St. Damiano. From there, the group will proceed to Siena, where they will tour the Piazza Del Campo, the Basilica of St. Dominic, and the city towers. They will also explore nearby San Gimignano.
After the group returns to Rome, they will take a tour of Baroque Rome, including the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and Navona Square. Religious sites they will visit in Rome will include the scavi under St. Peter’s, as well as the Basilicas of St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major. The group will also visit the Pantheon and the Colosseum/Roman Forum. The pinnacle of the trip will be Sunday Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica and noon Angelus with Pope Francis.
The cost of the trip is approximately $4,000. This price includes all air and land transportation, hotel accommodations (double occupancy), breakfasts and evening meals, and all museum/site admission fees. There will be scholarships available for Catholic Studies Students who are either majoring, double-majoring or minoring in the program.
Anyone wishing to apply for this course/trip must contact Dr. Ines Murzaku as soon as possible, with a written explanation as to why he or she is interested in this particular course/trip.
Those accepted into the course will be required to submit a non-refundable deposit of $500.00 by November 15, 2022.
For more information, click here.
Categories: Arts and Culture, Education
