During a summer pilgrimage to Rome, a Fordham delegation met the first American pope and walked in the footsteps of St. Ignatius Loyola, the 16th-century founder of the Jesuits. From strengthening the University’s historic ties at the Holy See to connecting with Rams at the Vatican Observatory, the visit was a powerful reminder that Fordham’s roots and reach extend far beyond the Bronx.
“To stand before the first American Holy Father as the representative of a New York Jesuit institution was a moment of immense joy and gratitude.”
Fordham President Tania Tetlow
Before meeting Pope Leo, the Fordham delegation watched him arrive in the popemobile and took part in a papal audience in St. Peter’s Square, where the first American-born pontiff delivered his weekly catechesis and blessing.
“His Holiness’s vision of a deeply inclusive, compassionate church that meets people exactly where they are has been a profound source of inspiration for me,” President Tetlow said.
The Doty sisters—Eliza and Fordham grads (from left) Jessica ’23, Tara ’20 ’21, and Gabrielle ’26—were among the Rams who met with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, at the Apostolic Palace in Rome. Cardinal Parolin has been a friend of Fordham for several years. He first met President Tetlow in Rome in 2024 and visited Fordham later that year, celebrating Mass in the University Church with students, staff, and alumni.
Exploring Jesuit History and Heritage
John Cecero, SJ, vice president for mission integration and ministry, celebrated Mass at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the seven Catholic pilgrim churches in Rome. The site has deep, historic significance for the Jesuits: It’s where St. Ignatius Loyola celebrated his first Mass on Christmas Day in 1538. And Pope Francis, who met with a Fordham delegation in June 2024, chose it as his final resting place.
The Fordham delegation visited the rooms where St. Ignatius lived and worked for nearly two decades as the first superior general of the Jesuits, from 1538 until his death on July 31, 1556. That date is now celebrated as the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola at Fordham and in Jesuit and Catholic communities throughout the world.
Father Cecero and Fordham trustee Michael Davidson, SJ, celebrated an intimate Mass with President Tetlow and the Fordham delegation in the former home of St. Ignatius.
Festo Mkenda, SJ, academic director of the Roman archives of the Society of Jesus, gave the Fordham group a behind-the-scenes look at centuries-old manuscripts, letters, and other items preserved in the Jesuit archives.
The Fordham delegation explored the Church of the Gesù, the mother church of the Society of Jesus and the first Jesuit church built in Rome.
Arturo Sosa, SJ, the 31st superior general of the Society of Jesus, greeted President Tetlow.
Rams in Rome: Fordham’s Ties to the Vatican Observatory
The Fordham delegation also traveled to Castel Gandolfo in the hills southeast of Rome, home to the Vatican Observatory. For nearly 30 years, Fordham grad and astrophysicist George V. Coyne, SJ, ’57, served as director of the observatory.
Today, Saige Wilson ’26 (pictured above) is one of two Rams working there. Now in her second year as a summer social media intern, she spoke about what it’s like to create content for the observatory’s Instagram account. And Ryan Cruise, SJ, a Jesuit in formation at Ciszek Hall, spoke about his summer research project: analyzing data from the Euclid space telescope while pursuing a master’s degree in data science at Fordham.
On the way to the Vatican Observatory, the Fordham delegation unexpectedly met an incoming first-year student who recognized President Tetlow and spotted the Fordham logo on someone else’s apparel.
Dialogue with Vatican Leaders
The Fordham delegation discussed artificial intelligence, climate change, and the church’s role in creating hope for the next generation with Monsignor Carlo Maria Polvani, SJ (left), secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education.
Fordham trustees also took part in a discernment session led by Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod, whose 2021 appointment by Pope Francis marked a historic step for women’s leadership in the Catholic Church. The Fordham delegation also met Alessandra Smerilli, FMA, who was recently appointed the third woman to ever head a major Vatican dicastery.
Following a conversation with Cardinal Pietro Parolin about the state of Catholic education in the U.S. and around the world, President Tetlow presented him with a new Fordham cap.
