Arrupe in Rome: A Journey of Purpose and Transformation

In May 2025, a group of Arrupe College students found themselves not just walking in the footsteps of St. Ignatius of Loyola, but standing in the center of history.

As part of the annual Ignatian Seminar in Rome, students witnessed a once-in-a-generation event: the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo XIV—the first American-born pontiff and a native of Chicago.

Under the early morning sun in St. Peter’s Square, surrounded by pilgrims from around the world, they listened as a fellow Chicagoan stepped forward to lead the global Catholic Church.

That moment wasn’t planned—it was providential. And it was only one of many transformations that took place during the 10-day journey.

The Rome Ignatian Seminar: Finding Purpose and Identity is more than a study-abroad course. It’s a pilgrimage—an academic, spiritual, and communal immersion available exclusively to Arrupe students. Through lectures, journaling, site visits, and shared reflection, students explore key moments in the life of St. Ignatius and the values that define a Jesuit education: discernment, magis (striving for excellence), cura personalis (care for the whole person), and finding God in all things.

For many students, the experience was deeply personal. “Saying prayers in those churches—it felt like something was igniting in me, bringing me closer God,” said Esdaini Lopez, who came to Arrupe with no religious upbringing. “I never expected to visit Rome, and it was truly something magical.”

Others experienced the journey as a kind of spiritual homecoming. Leo Muñoz, a graduate of Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, recalled walking into the Church of St. Ignatius and being struck speechless. “It brought me back to the values I’ve carried for years. Just being in that sacred space brought those lessons to life in a deeply personal way.”

On a day trip to Assisi, students walked the same paths as St. Francis and reflected on St. Ignatius’s devotion to justice and simplicity. Mariana Gonzalez described the peace she felt in Assisi as “finding the part of me that was missing—the light I once had, I found it on this journey.”

The Rome seminar also asked students to consider how Ignatian principles apply to their lives and choices. In one journal prompt, they were asked to reflect on their own “cannonball moment”—a reference to the injury that forced St. Ignatius into a period of spiritual reckoning and ultimately, transformation. Angel Guillen found his moment at the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis, a teenager whose short life of digital evangelization inspired millions. “I felt the need to do more within my communities,” he said. “Carlo was only 15 and had a huge impact.”

The group was accompanied by Arrupe faculty and staff, including Fr. Connell, S.J., who helped navigate not just the city, but the questions that emerged from students’ personal reflections. The Rome Seminar isn’t just about exploring sacred sites. It’s about asking who you are, where you’re headed, and what matters most.

Nowhere was that clearer than on the morning of Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass. Despite tight security, early call times, and unpredictable delays, the group made it into St. Peter’s Square just in time. “We met the Pope,” Fr. Connell later said, summing up the moment with awe.

Adriana Monzon, another Arrupe student, described the surreal joy of watching the new Pope pass by in the Popemobile. “I felt like a little kid,” she said.

The timing was uncanny, and fitting. For students steeped in Ignatian spirituality, witnessing the dawn of a new papacy led by someone from their own city was a living example of contemplation in action: faith in motion, history unfolding, and transformation on a global scale.

The Rome Seminar has become a hallmark of the Arrupe experience. As the College marks its 10th anniversary, this program stands as a powerful reminder of what’s possible when education nurtures not just intellect but identity and purpose.