Magdalen College of Warner, New Hampshire pilots a unique four-week abroad program in May of this year.
The program will be based in Norcia, Italy, the ancestral home of Saint Benedict where students, faculty, and staff will continue the spirit of the Magdalen College common life: living, studying, and praying together. The group will spend a week in Rome and visit several other cities near Norcia. I recently sat down with Academic Dean, Dr. Patrick Powers to learn more about the new program.
Ms. Jackson: How was this idea conceived? Why Norcia?
Dr. Powers: There was a tradition in the 1940’s and 1950’s in American Liberal Education where after having studied the great ancient thinkers graduates would travel to Europe to go back to the sources. Magdalen College is a liberal arts institution of learning; we study the Greeks and Romans, and so we are taking this opportunity to go back to our sources. Further, because the Faith is at the center of our mission at the College the students should make a pilgrimage to Rome: The seat of Holy Mother Church, the fountain at which all Christian pilgrims should drink at least once in their lives.
Yet, a problem is posed: How to blend studying and living abroad with the Magdalen College Program of Liberal Studies. Most colleges take a semester, but that kind of a break would disrupt our Program. So, our solution is to do it during part of the summer as one intensive month.
Why Norcia? Well, we wanted the program to continue the Magdalen Program of Studies with an integrated common life, and Norcia is a wonderful context in which the common life of the College can flourish and grow. Norcia is a very small walled city, whose architectural layout still reflects the communal life of earlier Renaissance and Medieval times when the city, or “civitas” in Latin, was the heart of “civilization.”
Father Folsom Cassian, a long time friend and supporter of the College, is the Prior of the Benedictine monastery in Norcia. During the three-week visit in Norcia the students, faculty, and staff will live on the monastery grounds which are located in the center of the city.
Ms. Jackson: What is the purpose of the Norcia Program?
Dr. Powers: The Program offers a special opportunity for Magdalen students to integrate their familiar life of common learning and living at the College with the unfamiliar daily life, both sacred and secular, of the residents of a thriving, small city in a foreign land very unlike the College’s life in Warner, New Hampshire.
Also, the attendees will experience the life of Christian faith lived daily at the Vatican and especially the Basilica of St. Peter, the seat and heart of the Roman Catholic Church.
Ms. Jackson: How will the Norcia Program compare with study abroad programs at other colleges and universities?
Dr. Powers: Very unique. This Program will be a residence program in one city- Norcia. The entire group will live, study, and pray in one city. They will take time out to travel but will always return to Norcia.
Ms. Jackson: Why the junior class?
Dr. Powers: The hope is that the Norica Program will be a month-long retreat that prepares the junior students for their senior year. They will be enlivened with the spirit of Europe ready to be leaders in the up-coming academic year. Also, the faculty and staff will live with the students as a whole community. The hope is that this experience will enliven the faculty and staff also.
Ms. Jackson: Where will they travel? What cultural events will they attend?
Dr. Powers: The first week will be spent in Rome while the three remaining weeks will be spent in Norcia. Once in Norcia, they will take day trips to other cities surrounding Norcia such as Assisi, Spoleto, Perugi, Montefalco, Orvieto, and Narni. These cities were chosen for their works of art and architecture, as well as other attractions.
Ms. Jackson: What will the students experience on a typical day?
Dr. Powers: While in Norcia, the students will attend two tutorials in the morning and will explore Norcia in the afternoons. The tutorials will focus on Ancient and Renaissance history, Italian literature and culture, and Benedictine spiritual life. There will be an opportunity to share in the prayer life of the monastery at Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.
For more information on the Norcia Program please contact Sarah Jane von Haack in the Public Relations Office at Magdalen College at promotions@magdalen.edu or call toll-free 1-877-498-1723.
Ellen Jackson is a public relations assistant at Magdalen College. She graduated from Magdalen College in 2001.
