The Pontificio

The Pontificio
The Pontificio

Along Via Aurelia, three subway stops or so from the Vatican, stands a four-storey building designed by Edoardo Cherubini and inaugurated on October 7, 1961 by Pope Blessed John XXIII. Dedicated to Nuestra Senora de la Paz y Buen Viaje (Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage), it is the mother house of Filipino priests and seminarians enrolled in advanced studies at the Gregorian University and other pontifical universities in Rome. One might say it is one of the best-kept secrets in Rome. It is the Pontificio Collegio Filipino.

The 757 landed at Aeroporto di Fiumicino-Roma as the sun was setting. After retrieving baggage and clearing through customs, I checked to find out it would cost about 40-50 euros to get to my destination. Short on cash, I went to the nearest ATM only to find out it was broken. A currency exchange counter was open. Following a brief transaction, I walked over to the taxi stand outside the terminal. "Buona sera, signore", the Italian driver was very courteous. He loaded my bags and, honest driver that he was, drove me straight to 490 Via Aurelia.

Standing before an imposing iron gate, I pressed the side button. The heavy gates opened and I ascended the entrance steps to the lobby, where a statue of a Filipina Virgin Mary caught my attention. Sr. Helen Pepito, the cashier, apologized that the porter was not available to help. She led me to my room on the second floor and handed me a set of keys, for the room, the lobby, and the main gate.

It had been a long trip; I was tired and hungry. After freshening up, I came down to the refectory on the ground floor. Dinner started at 7:30 PM as resident priests came home from their day's work at various campuses and offices. In the best Filipino tradition, with a touch of Benedictine hospitality -- St. Benedict always instructed his monks to treat visitors as if they were hosting Christ himself -- I joined the community in prayer and was graciously invited to partake of the buffet meal.

An inviting bowl of hot sinigang and a bandehado of delicious chop suey were just right to nourish thirty priests and a handful of Filipino pilgrims. The kitchen crew made sure there was enough rice, hot and steaming rice. I had not tasted rice for over a week. That plus an array of native delicacies and cappuccino made the Pontificio "Home Sweet Rome ". I was in heaven!

The idea to build a college in Rome for Filipino seminarians and ordained priests studying for advanced degrees was proposed by the late Rufino Cardinal Santos at a meeting of the Catholic Hierarchy of the Philippines on January 1959. On August 1959, the cornerstone of the future edifice was laid on the site, with the solemn prayer that "Filipino young men...endowed with science and strong faith, under the shadows of Peter and the tombs of the Martyrs, will one day go back to their country to diffuse this treasury of faith to those under their care".

To date, 600 priests have passed through the portals of the Pontificio, 51 of whom have become bishops, according to Msgr. Ruperto Santos, Rector of the College. I am grateful to have made friends there, in particular, Fr. Alberto Uy who is now professor of Moral Theology at Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Camaman-an, Cagayan de Oro City and Msgr. Barney Auza, recently transferred to the Holy See Mission at the United Nations in New York. The buzz at the Pontificio is that the gifted and talented Msgr. Barney is slated to become the next Filipino nuncio.

If not for Msgr. Barney, I would never have seen the inside corridors of the Vatican or the most sacred site where the first Christian martyrs sacrificed their lives for the faith. Nor would Lucie and I have the memorable experience of celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary and renewing our vows at St. Peter's Basilica.

I am truly grateful for the Pontificio's hospitality -- it is an oasis away from home. The goodness and kindness of the people there warms my heart. Mr. Bernardino Piccioni, the retired chauffeur who transported church dignitaries like Jaime Cardinal Sin through the years, makes you feel like a VIP as he patiently waits for you to pack your bags, and then skillfully maneuvers you through Roman traffic, on the way to the airport. Fr. Sam Gacias from Sorsogon and the librarian Dominican sister whose name escapes me now went out of their way to help me xerox important documents.

I have also enjoyed talking to many academic priests there, some serving in Pontifical commissions, like Fr. Greg from the diocese of Manila, whose knowledge of world populations is prodigious. Fr. Greg tells me that China's one child rule will impact China's economy adversely in the next decades when the generations most affected by the abortion policy carry the biggest burden of the labor force. China may have to resort to importing workers then, as West Germany did when it achieved zero population growth and found to its dismay that the labor force was not broad enough to support an aging population.

Fr. Enrico Emmanuel Ayo, the Procurator, says in a cool U-tube segment that the program at the Pontificio is four-dimensional. It aims to foster community life, academic training, spiritual formation, and apostolic outreach. The latter takes on more significance, as Filipino migrants flock to Italy. It is estimated that 45,000 Filipinos today live and work in Rome. Many of them are well-educated professionals -- teachers, accountants, etc. Unfortunately, the limited job opportunities there compel them to labor as domestic workers. The pay is better than back in the Philippines but it takes a toll on their sense of self worth. They tell me there is not a single Filipino physician in Rome.

The Filipinos in Rome find comfort in small and big gatherings. Each year in May, they celebrate Filipino Day or Fiesta at the Pontificio. We attended the event in 2006. It was a joy to see the Filipinos in Rome gathering on the grounds of the Pontificio, celebrating, as they would do in the towns and barrios back home, complete with beauty queens and princesses accompanied by proud escorts and entourages.

Monsignor Santos tells me that while the seminary can accommodate 50 priests, enrollment is down to 30 because scholarship grants from Germany and other countries are drying up. Likewise, Licentiate programs are now offered in Philippine universities. It is ideal for Filipino priests to study sub umbra Petri (or under the shadow of St. Peter) but that training is getting expensive, with European currency gaining strength against the Philippine peso.

Thus, it takes P600, 000 to sustain a priest including board and lodging for one year. That seems like a huge amount but not so if we consider that it costs $40,000 (or P2M) to educate our kids in private colleges and universities in the U.S. Sr. Helen, from Cebu, tells me that she gets a headache (masakit ang ulo) when she sees the expense sheet but, thankfully, pilgrims come in and help with donations. With proper recommendation from their bishops and/or priests, Filipino pilgrims are welcome to stay at the Pontificio.

If you wish to help keep this Filipino beacon shining brightly in the Eternal City, please send your contributions to:

Monsignor Ruperto Santos, Rector
Pontificio Collegio Filippino
Via Aurelia 490, 1-00165 Roma

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