The Rome Experience

09/10/2026

Applications are now being accepted for The Rome Experience 2027!

Founded in 2009, The Rome Experience is a 6-week cultural and spiritual pilgrimage that provides diocesan seminarians the opportunity to contemplate and nurture their divine call to the priesthood as they pray and study in the heart of the Catholic Church.

Through a five-day spiritual retreat, academic courses at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, attendance at Papal events and liturgies, and numerous historical and cultural excursions, the program fosters a renewed desire for holiness and offers lifelong inspiration that each seminarian will carry with him into his priestly ministry.

The 2027 program runs from May 24 – July 5; applications due January 8, 2027.

Learn more and download the application online: https://theromeexperience.org/apply/.

08/04/2026

"You have shown me the way to Ars; I will show you the way to Heaven."

St. John Vianney, pray for us!

07/31/2026

The Rome Experience was recently featured on EWTN Vaticano as part of a broader series on immersion programs in the Eternal City!

In our featured segment, viewers follow along for a "day in the life" of a seminarian on The Rome Experience, accompanying them for daily prayer, an academic course with Dr. Elizabeth Lev, and a visit to the Apostolic Penitentiary with Tribunal Official Msgr. Carlos Encina Commentz.

Plus, seminarians share their personal highlights from the program and how the formation is shaping their future priestly ministry.

Watch online:

The Board & Staff of The Rome Experience are pleased to share this year’s program has been featured on EWTN Vaticano—a weekly program presenting the latest news and featured segments from…

07/28/2026

"I have asked you to keep on lifting your eyes up to Heaven as you go about your work, because hope encourages us to grasp hold of the strong hand which God never ceases to reach out to us, to keep us from losing our supernatural point of view." // St. Josemaria Escriva; Friends of God, no. 213

07/23/2026

Join us in offering a special prayer today for our priests and seminarians, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood, through the words of our patron, Pope St. John Paul II.

07/22/2026

"When I discovered there might be a chance to meet the Holy Father, I was wracking my brain with what to say to him if he came near enough to greet us. I thought of humorously apologizing for my grandfather who was a Cubs fan. I thought of asking him for prayers for a special intention. When the moment came, I found I could say neither of these."

Seminarian Joseph Tuttle from the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois reflects on meeting Pope Leo during this summer's program.

Read the full article online: https://theromeexperience.org/what-to-say-to-the-pope/

07/06/2026

“Give thanks often to Jesus, for through him, with him, and in him you are able to call yourself a son of God.” // St. Josemaria Escriva

As we conclude the 2026 program, we give thanks to God for the abundant grace and blessings he has poured out upon the seminarians this summer!

And, we give thanks for you—our friends and supporters—for your faithful prayers and generosity that make this program possible.

Since 2009, in partnership with Midwest Theological Forum - MTF, we have formed over 350 seminarians in the heart of the Church—fostering their vocation and enlivening their fidelity to the Holy Father as they prepare for a life in service to the Church.

Help us sustain our mission with a financial gift today at www.theromeexperience.org/support.

07/05/2026

This weekend the seminarians are in Ars, France, walking in the footsteps of St. John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests.

They had the opportunity to celebrate Mass at his tomb, visit his home, and explore the village before concluding the program with a day of recollection.

07/02/2026

Final stop in Rome — a tour of the Swiss Guard Barracks!

This weekend the seminarians travel to Ars to walk in the footsteps of St. John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests, and to conclude the program with a day of recollection before returning home.

06/30/2026

Closing out our classes at Pontificia Università della Santa Croce with Fr. Jacques Philippe! The seminarians are enjoying two days of conversation as he shares his spiritual wisdom with the group.