Citizens of the world together in Rome
For two young women, Easter 2025 is one they will not forget. Katie and Sofia, two residents of Ashwell House, had their first experience of UNIV, a gathering of university students from around the world which takes place in Holy Week in Rome every year.
For Katie, who is studying English at King’s College, this was her first UNIV and her first trip to Rome. ‘Each day was an opportunity to explore somewhere new and be amazed by something,’ she says. ‘And UNIV was a lively gathering of women from across the globe. It was an opportunity for people to meet each other and hear different perspectives.’
Deepen my faith
Sofia had three motivations for signing up to UNIV 2025. She wanted to experience Holy Week in Rome and she wanted to go to Rome during the Jubilee Year. ‘I also wanted to share these special moments with my friends from Ashwell,’ she says. ‘And I wanted to deepen and strengthen my faith during this trip.’
The Ashwell group attended Mass in various sacred and iconic places: St Peter’s Square, St Columbanus’s Chapel in the crypt of St Peter’s Basilica, and the Catacombs of St Callixtus.
Over the Sacred Triduum, the Ashwell women went to the Maundy Thursday Mass in St Peter’s. Some of the group attended the Good Friday service in St John Lateran and others in St Peter’s, and they had Easter Sunday Mass in St Peter’s Square, where they received the traditional papal blessing Urbi et Orbi, for the city and the world.
Dancing
The theme of UNIV Lab 2025 was ‘Citizens of our world’. After the keynote speech which unfolded this vision, there was a dinner for all the women, followed by dances from around the globe with everyone joining in!
‘The cultural dances and songs were a highlight for me,’ says Katie. ‘Each one was completely unique. It was a coming together of differences, demonstrating the vibrancy of each culture and the colour we bring to each other’s lives.’
‘The UNIV Lab was both interesting and interactive,’ says Sofia. ‘What stood out for me most was hearing about the experiences of people from different backgrounds. It helped me better understand how faith can be lived and expressed in daily life.’
Theology and philosophy
The UNIV labs were important for Katie. ‘They opened my eyes to different ways of thinking’, she says. The session ‘Unpacking secularity in the teaching of St Josemaria’, looked at the theology of creation and philosophy of history, along with the relationship between time, eternity, the sacred and the secular. ‘As someone not part of Opus Dei or knowing much about it, this session was a useful introduction to the teaching of St Josemaria,’ says Katie.
This was a week full of memories for everyone. ‘Traveling with friends is such a powerful and beautiful experience,’ says Sofia. ‘This trip truly helped me to grow as a woman.’
Quieter moments
Katie loved being surrounded by people in St Peter’s Square, all there for the same purpose. ‘I also loved the quieter moments’ she says. ‘Being with Jesus in the chapel at our accommodation, Fraterna Domus. You could develop the sense of your faith being part of the rest of your life and not separate from it.’
Of course, delicious pizza, pasta and ice cream played a part in the joy of this week. But undoubtedly the stand-out moment came after the long Easter Sunday Mass, standing in the hot sun, when the group suddenly found themselves two metres away from Pope Francis, during what was to be his last public appearance. A historic moment. A memory to treasure.
