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The Pontifical Beda College in
Rome
HISTORY
In
1852, Pope Pius IX approved a plan to accommodate
in Rome a number of clergymen from England
who had joined the Catholic Church from other Christian
denominations and wished to prepare for the
Catholic priesthood.
The new College - first known as Collegio Ecclesiastico
and later as Collegio Pio - also
included lifelong Catholics, drawn to the priesthood
fairly late in life. |
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A third category comprised younger, newly ordained
priests studying for post-graduate degrees in Rome.
For over 100 years this was to remain the typical
composition of the student body, ensuring that the
College would become the world's best-known College
for "late vocations" -training men who
had already followed widely differing careers. |
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College entered a period of renewal at the turn
of the century when, as a result of the interest
taken by Pope Leo XIII, a new constitution was issued
in 1898. The Pope decided that the College should
be placed under the patronage of the Venerable Bede,
the eighth century author of The Ecclesiastical
History of the English People, to whom the Pope
had a personal devotion. |
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Above:
Rector with the FMDM sister |
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In the following year he was to raise St Bede to
the dignity of Doctor of the Church and the name
"Pontificio Collegio Beda" originates
from this time. |
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The
Beda developed its own system of priestly formation,
based on a unique four-year course of studies conducted
in English. This took shape in the 1930's and 1940's,
while Monsignor Charles Duchemin was Rector (College
portrait, right).
The College was evacuated to Britain in 1939 for
the duration of the Second World War and by October
1947, the Beda had returned to its home at 67 Via
di S. Nicolo da Tolentino, near the Piazza Barberini.
But by the mid 1950's, with large numbers seeking
admission, the College had outgrown its premises.
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Above:
Monsignor
Charles Duchemin. |
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In 1956 Pope Pius XII provided from Vatican property
the land on which the present modern Beda stands,
adjacent to the Basilica of St Paul Outside the
Walls. Pope John XXIII formally opened the new building
on 20 October 1960. The College has continued to
develop on this site. |
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