.
– School Year 2023-2024 Calendar
Regular Spiritual Activities
Mornings:
- 6:30 a.m. Monday to Friday = English Mass with Italian Laudes (moved to 7:30 a.m. during breaks and final days of exams)
- 7:30 a.m. Saturday = English Mass with Italian Laudes
- 8:00 a.m. Sunday = English Mass
Evenings:
- 6:30 p.m. daily = all are encouraged to maintain an atmosphere of silence and prayer in PCF
- 6:30 p.m. Thursday = Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction
- 6:45 p.m. Tuesday = weekly Community Mass (at times in Latin), then cocktails and dinner
- 7:00 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Friday and Saturday = Rosary and Vespers in Italian
- 7:00 p.m. Wednesday = Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Vespers
- Third Fridays = Monthly Recollection (Friday 6:30 p.m. to Saturday 7:30 a.m. Mass)
- Confession and Spiritual Direction = personally scheduled
Other Regular Activities
- First Fridays every month = Council of Co-Responsibles’ meeting (called by the Coordinator as needed)
- Second Tuesdays every other month = Priests’ Assembly (called by the Coordinator as needed)
- Monthly Presbyterium Day (determined by batch)
- Birthdays and Anniversaries are usually celebrated at dinner. The celebrant may sponsor some special food to be cooked by the Collegio kitchen.
- Academic Conference (at least once a semester, usually on a Thursday 8:15 p.m. so that Filipino Community members could attend; suspended as needed during the Covid-19 pandemic)
- Refectory Services and Meal schedules (click here)
- PCF Laundry Services: the drop box is open from Saturday to 3:00 pm Monday. They will be in the laundry boxes or hangers by Wednesday at the earliest. Not allowed: socks, briefs, boxer shorts, dry-cleaning.
- There is also a laundry room for Priests on the first floor. Clothes you wash yourselves may be brought down for ironing at the PCF laundry from Tuesday to Wednesday.
Activities by Date for SCHOOL YEAR 2023-2024
| SEP. 28 Thu-OCT. 1 Sun | Annual Retreat |
| OCT. 10 | Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit |
| OCT. 13-14 | Pictorial Days |
| OCT. 17 | Priests’ Assembly |
| OCT. 19 | Filipino Chaplaincy Meeting (5:00 PM) |
| OCT. 20-21 | Pictorial Days |
| OCT. 27 | BEC Assembly (6:30 PM) |
| Audience with Philippine Delegates to the Synod of Bishops (8:30 PM) | |
| NOV. 1 | Rector’s Day: Community Pictorial and Pilgrimage (Norcia-Cassia) |
| NOV. 3 | First Friday Devotion (Conference: Fr. A. Recepcion) (6:15 PM, Crypt) |
| NOV. 14 | CCR Monthly Meeting |
| NOV. 16 | Confession |
| NOV. 16 | Academic Seminar with Msgr. Edward Karaan on Human Relations |
| NOV. 17-18 | Recollection |
| NOV. 21 | Priests’ Assembly |
| NOV. 24 | Kanto Night |
| NOV. 25 | Solemn Vespers |
| NOV. 26 | Solemnity of Christ the King: Eucharistic Procession |
| DEC. 1 | First Friday Devotion (Conference: Fr. G. Gaston) (6:15 PM, Crypt) |
| DEC. 7 | Solemn Mass/Pre-Christmas Party |
| DEC. 8 | Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. |
| DEC. 8-9 | Recollection |
| DEC. 16-24 | Misas de Aguinaldo |
| DEC. 25 | Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ |
| 2024 | |
| JAN. 1 | Solemnity of Mary Mother of God |
| JAN. 6 | Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ |
| JAN. 9 | CCR Monthly Meeting |
| JAN. 16 | Priests’ Assembly |
| JAN. 18 | Confession |
| JAN. 19-20 | Recollection |
| JAN. 26 | Kanto Night |
| FEB. 2 | Candlemass/First Friday Devotion (Conference: Fr. M. Tabion) (6:15 PM, Crypt) |
| FEB. 10 | Winter Outing to Gran Sasso |
| FEB. 13 | Mardi Gras |
| FEB. 14 | Ash Wednesday |
| FEB. 15 | Confession |
| FEB. 16-17 | Recollection |
| FEB. 20 | CCR Monthly Meeting |
| FEB. 23 | Kanto Night |
| FEB. 17 | Priests’ Assembly |
| MAR. 1 | First Friday Devotion (Conference: Fr. G. Gaston) (6:15 PM, Crypt) |
| MAR. 12 | CCR Monthly Meeting |
| MAR. 15-16 | Recollection |
| MAR. 19 | Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of the B.V.M. |
| MAR. 21 | Confession |
| MAR. 22 | Kanto Night |
| MAR. 24-30 | Holy Week |
| MAR. 28 | Holy Thursday Chrism Mass (St. Peter’s Basilica) |
| APR. 1-5 | Easter Break/Optional Pilgrimage |
| APR. 6 | Community Pilgrimage |
| APR. 9 | CCR Monthly Meeting |
| APR. 11 | Collegio Day Preparatory Meeting |
| APR. 16 | Priests’ Assembly |
| APR. 18 | Confession |
| APR. 19-20 | Recollection |
| APR. 25 | Festa della Liberazione (Festivo) |
| APR. 26 | Kanto Night |
| MAY 1 | Festa del Lavoro (Festivo) |
| MAY 2-4 | Collegio Day Triduum Masses |
| MAY 5 | Collegio Day |
| MAY 10-12 | CCR Election |
| MAY 14 | Induction of New CCR Officers – Meeting |
| MAY 16 | Confession |
| MAY 17-18 | Recollection |
| MAY 21 | Priests’ Assembly |
| MAY 31 | Kanto Night |
| JUN. 2 | Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ: Eucharistic Procession |
| JUN. 13 | Confession |
| JUN. 14-15 | Recollection (Synthesis) |
| JUN. 18 | Gabi ng Parangal |
| JUN. 23 | Barrio Fiesta |
| JUN. 29 | Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul |
TIPS:
- For Licentiate students: your term papers and other submitted work could eventually form part of your thesina; you might wish to work on topics somewhat aligned with your field of interest whenever possible.
- For Licentiate students: during the second semester of your penultimate year, you might wish to start looking for a topic and a thesina moderator, and come up with an outline as well as the introductory part. It might be possible to devote some time during summer to gather materials for your thesina, especially if you go the US, in between visits, where public or university libraries are accessible, and where summer pastoral work is at a minimum. This will help you avoid cramming for the thesina (which demands hard work) and other papers during the final year, and give you more time to review for the comprehensive exams on your final semester.
IN PREPARATION FOR FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR 2024-2025
- Online Enrollment: usually by early or mid-September (check exact dates with your University)
- Enrollment in Rome : usually starting last week of September (check exact dates with your University)
- Annual Retreat 2024: Oct 3 Thu (after breakfast) to Oct 6 Sun (after breakfast) *
- Classes begin: October 7 Mon (check exact date with your University; usually the first Monday after October 1)
THE ANNUAL RETREAT
* The Annual Retreat is part of any Priests’ on-going formation program. All Collegio Priests are expected to attend the Annual Retreat organized by the Collegio, even if some might have already attended, or plan to attend, other retreats. This is because our retreat underlines points for reflection specific for priestly life as student residents of the Collegio here in Rome. “The student-priests must always make time for their spiritual monthly recollection, and annual retreat, absence from any of which could only be premised on truly grave reason(s)” (Ordinances, I. SPIRITUAL LIFE. 3. Retreat and Recollection). More on the annual retreat at: https://pcfroma.org/kb/09-sep-oct-retreat/.
For those with Italian lessons or Italian exams, classes, program orientation, etc., overlapping with the annual retreat: the PCF Rector writes the institutions concerned regarding our retreat. He explains that:
- there is no other period during the school year where the Collegio may schedule the retreat (students do pastoral work, review for the exams or have other plans during Christmas, New Year, Holy Week, Easter and summers)
- other Collegios hold the retreat in other periods and the students also have to skip classes
- the retreat not only tackles spiritual matters, but also serves as an introduction to life in the Collegio for the incoming school year; and thus the students should attend the whole retreat and not miss any session
- as per past experiences, the Italian exams may be moved to the Wednesday before the retreat, while class and program orientation organizers excuse the students, as they very well understand the need for the retreat, and they also say that this is a yearly experience they are used to having, as many Collegios have their retreats or other activities on these days.