The Pontifical Beda College () is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

in Rome. It was founded as the ''Collegio Ecclesiastico'' at the Palazzo dei Convertendi in 1852 by

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

and is intended for older men, often convert clergymen, wishing to prepare for the priesthood.

History

This college was moved in 1854 to the English College to accommodate a larger number of clergymen from England who had joined the Roman Catholic Church from other Christian denominations and wished to prepare for the Catholic priesthood. They came for only four years, because they were seen to have significant experience already. Here the college became known as the ''Collegio Pio''. It also included lifelong Catholics drawn to the priesthood later in life, and priests studying for post-graduate degrees in Rome. Pope Leo XIII issued a new constitution in 1898 and placed the college under the patronage of

Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...

, the eighth-century Anglo-Saxon monk and scholar. Edward Henry Howard bequeathed to the two colleges his library.Benigni, Umberto. "Roman Colleges." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 11 January 2016 It was decided by the Sacred Congregation of Studies (1917), that it should be completely separated from the Venerable English College, and that it should have a corporate life entirely of its own under a rector and staff of its own and in its own premises. Pending the acquisition of a permanent home, temporary premises were rented in the Prati di Castello from the Polish Hospice. Horace Kinder Mann was brought from England to be the new rector, and J. C. Richards was appointed vice-rector. The Bede students took up their new quarters on 2 January 1918. When the First World War ended, the Polish returned to Rome and the Beda became homeless. The community was transferred in 1922 to the Via S. Niccolo da Tolentino close by the

Piazza Barberini Piazza Barberini is a large piazza in the ''centro storico'' or city center of Rome, Italy and situated on the Quirinal Hill. It was created in the 16th century but many of the surrounding buildings have subsequently been rebuilt. History The s ...

. The college made progress under the guidance of Mann and his vice-rector McShane. In 1956 Pope Pius XII provided from the extraterritorial property of the Holy See the land on which the present Beda stands, adjacent to the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Pope

John XXIII Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...

formally opened the new building on 20 October 1960. The Beda remains the responsibility of the Bishops of England and Wales but now receives men from English-speaking countries worldwide. With plans to relocate the Scots College, it was announced in May 2023 that students of the Scots College would move to Beda College in September 2023, until a permanent location is found.

Notable students

* Benedict Williamson, (1868–1948) English architect and priest * Father Thomas Byles (1870–1912), English Catholic priest and passenger of

RMS Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that Sinking of the Titanic, sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking Iceberg that struck the Titanic, an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York Ci ...

* J. G. Greig (1871–1958), English cricketer, soldier and Catholic priest * Richard Downey (1881–1953), Archbishop of Liverpool * Alfred Newman Gilbey (1901–1998), Chaplain to Cambridge University * Geoffrey Davey (1906–1975), Australian civil engineer and priest * Gordon Wheeler (1910–1998), Bishop of Leeds * Walton Hannah (1910–1966) *

Richard Gagnon Richard Joseph Gagnon (born June 17, 1948) is a Canadian retired bishop of the Catholic Church. He is the Archbishop Emeritus of Winnipeg, having served as its ordinary from 2014 until 2024. He was President of the Canadian Conference of Ca ...

(born 1948), Archbishop of Winnipeg * Patrick van der Vorst (born 1971), Belgian-British priest and former art expert and auctioneer.

List of rectors

*1852–1864: Louis B. English *1864–1867: Neve *1867–1897: Henry O'Callaghan 1897–1908: Giles ice-Rector1908–1911: Butt ice-Rector1911–1917: Thomas George ice-Rector*1918–1928: Horace Kinder Mann * 1928–1961: Charles Duchemin *1961–1972: Jeremiah John Curtin *1972–1978: Brendan Travers *1978–1987: William Mitchell *1987–1991: Walter Drumm *1991–1992: Peter Walton *1992–1998: Brian Dazeley *1998–2015: Roderick Strange *2015–present: Philip Gillespie

References

External links

Pontifical Beda College Official Website
{{Holy See Educational institutions established in 1852 English College, Rome Catholic Church in England and Wales Roman Colleges 1852 establishments in the Papal States