The Diocesan Museum, Archives and Library of Reggio Calabria-Bova, with the support of 8xMille to the Catholic Church, offer a Training Course on “Paul of Tarsus and the Origins of the Church in Reggio.” The initiative, aimed at tour guides, students and diocesan collaborators, delves into the figure of St. Paul and the cultural heritage linked to his presence in the city

An itinerary between history and spirituality

Museum, Archives and Diocesan Library of Reggio Calabria-Bova with the support of 8xMille to the Catholic Church propose from Oct. I to Nov. 5, 2024 a Training Course on the theme “Paul of Tarsus and the Origins of the Church in Reggio.”

Promoted together with the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences of Reggio Calabria, the Course will be divided into six meetings, hosted at sites linked to the memory of the Pauline presence in the city, combining the contributions of lecturers and scholars with visits to the places and the cultural heritage preserved in them: Museum, Historical Archives and Diocesan Library, Chapel of the Archdiocesan Seminary Pius XI, Cathedral Basilica Maria SS.ma Assunta, National Archaeological Museum, Sanctuary of St. Paul at the Rotunda and Orthodox Church of St. Paul of the Greeks.

Oct. 1st the inauguration

The inauguration will take place Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Aula Magna of the Higher Institute of Religious Sciences with greetings from Monsignor Fortunato Morrone, archbishop of Reggio Calabria de Annarita Ferrato, Issr director.

After the presentation of the Course by Fr. Domenico Rodà, deputy director of the diocese’s Office for Cultural Heritage and Worship Buildings, the talk by Monsignor Salvatore Santoro, director of the Pauline Bible School, will follow on the theme “If one is in Christ, he is a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17): freedom and grace in Paul’s anthropology.”

Also on the occasion of the opening day, two other events are planned: a visit to the Diocesan Library and the Pauline Bibliographic Exhibition by Orsola Foti, director of the Farias Diocesan Library, and a Visit to the Chapel of the Pius XI Archdiocesan Seminary, led by rector Fr. Simone Gatto and architect Ignazio Ferro, designer.

Subsequent meetings will be held at various symbolic places in the city: the National Archaeological Museum, the Archiepiscopal Curia, the Shrine of St. Paul at the Rotunda, the Cathedral Basilica and the Orthodox Church of St. Paul of the Greeks. Speakers include professors, historians and tour guides who will cover topics such as Pauline anthropology, the material culture of Reggio in the first century AD, and the enhancement of the Pauline heritage.

Who the course is for

The Course, among the diocesan initiatives in preparation for the Jubilee 2025, is aimed at guides and tour leaders, ISSR students, Catholic Religion teachers, collaborators of diocesan Offices and Parishes and those generally interested in the topic.

The initiative by the diocesan MAB goes along with the birth of the diocesan Pauline Bible School, linking up with the Project “St. Paul’s Way of Faith from Syracuse to Rome,” conceived by the St. Paul Patrol and supported by the Archdiocese of Reggio Calabria-Bova through a Protocol with public and private entities and institutions.

Among the aims of the Course are, in particular, the training and updating of those who will welcome and/or accompany the visit of groups and pilgrims to the Pauline sites that insist on our territory, providing basic scientific elements for the approach to the knowledge of the figure of the Saint and his writings, as well as art and history of the stage sites of the Pauline itinerary in the city.

How to enroll

Free registration for the Course (in-person meetings) will be possible by Saturday, Sept. 28 by sending an email with generalities and contact information to info@museodiocesanoreggiocalabria.it or by calling cell. 3387554386.