President Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw, Ph.D., recently visited the University’s Rome campus where he discussed the Vincentian mission of St. John’s. Included in this discussion was unique experiential learning, also known as academic service learning (ASL), that takes place at St. John’s. There he met with Juliet Linley, Vatican Correspondent for EWTN, the Global Catholic Television Network which broadcasts in 140 countries.
The celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Vincentian charism was taken into consideration when Dr. Gempesaw’s trip was planned. The five-day long “International Symposium of the Vincentian Family” included an address by Pope Francis himself and Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Rev. Tomaz Mavric, C.M., Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and the Company of the Daughters of Charity, had the idea to invite the Vincentian family earlier this year to meet and discuss the theme, “Welcome the Stranger.” Nearly 10,000 members of the worldwide Vincentian family attended the special gathering held in the historic St. Peter’s Square.
Linley included in her segment a piece about a Brazilian St. John’s student spending a semester in Rome as an example of the mission set forth by St. Vincent de Paul by feeding the city’s hungry. The University’s diverse Queens campus was also a focal point in the talk, along with its global presence, strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum and commitment to providing educational opportunities to all students including those in dire economic need.
