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A Historic and Unique Centre of Catholic Formation

The Irish College, Rome was founded on January 1st 1628 by the Irish Franciscan, Fr Luke Wadding O.F.M. and the Italian Cardinal, Ludivico Ludovisi, a nephew of Pope Gregory XV, when it was not possible to train priests in Ireland. This is the last of the many Irish Colleges across Europe that still functions as a house of Catholic formation. Today under a synodal framework, the Pontifical Irish College continues its mission of Catholic formation with three distinct communities of clergy, seminarians and laity. Click below to find out more about each community.

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Priest Community

The Irish College in Rome is home to a diverse community of over 30 postgraduate priests from Ireland and around the world. The priests engage in an ongoing formation programme at the college while pursuing advanced studies—at Licence or Doctorate levels—across various disciplines at Pontifical Universities in Rome. For further information please contact our offices via the 'contact us' form.
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SJV Seminarians at St Peters in the Rain

Seminarian Community

The Irish College hosts two semester-abroad formation programmes for seminary students from St. John Vianney Seminary Minnesota and Holy Cross Seminary at Notre Dame. Click below to read more on the seminary community experience at the Irish College.
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Students at St Peter’s for a Papal Audience

Lay Community

In collaboration with the 'Consortium Catholic Studies' and the 'Thomistic Institute', the Irish College hosts lay students from both Ireland and the USA over the course academic year. Students reside in the former convent to the rear of the college, newly named St. Oliver's, and partake in the spiritual, intellectual, human & community formation life of the college. Click below to learn more about the programme.
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Meet Our Team

Fr. Colin Jones
Director of the SJV Seminarian Programme
Fr. Emmanuel Obi SPS
Vice Rector
Fr. Paul Finnerty
Rector
Mr. Eoin McCormack
Lay Programme Development Coordinator
Fr. Wellistony Carvalho Viana
Spiritual Director
Mgr. Callaghan
Spiritual Director to the SJV Seminarian Community

A Place of Faith, Discipleship, and Fraternity