For a group of Senior 5 students and several first-year Sixth Formers from St Paul’s Missionary College, Rome was not just a destination but an experience that opened their eyes to the reality of life on the margins. Over five days in the Eternal City, they encountered both its beauty and its brokenness, discovering that faith grows strongest where compassion becomes real.
The journey, organized by the SPMC School Chaplaincy Team and held in close collaboration with the Archbishop’s Minor Seminary, was built around volunteering with Caritas Roma and the Banca dei Talenti, a Salesian initiative that provides food and companionship to people living on the streets. Each day began and ended with reflection, but the most powerful lessons were learned while serving trays of pasta, wiping tables, or simply sharing a conversation with someone who had nowhere else to go.
At Caritas, the students joined the staff and volunteers who prepare and distribute hundreds of meals daily to those in need. In the canteens near Termini Station and Colle Oppio, the noise of plates and chatter filled the air. What began as an unfamiliar task quickly became a rhythm of service, where simple gestures such as offering bread, listening to a story, or smiling at someone who rarely receives one carried the weight of humanity.
One student reflected that what struck them most was not the hardship but the gratitude of those they met. “They treated us with such warmth,” they said. “I went there to help, but I left feeling that they had given me more than I gave them.” Another added, “It made me realize that serving isn’t about fixing someone’s life. It’s about being present and letting people know they matter.”
Their time with the Salesians offered a different kind of encounter, as they went out into the streets to meet and serve the homeless where they lived, rather than welcoming them in a centre. Working alongside young people and volunteers at the Banca dei Talenti, the group helped prepare food parcels and joined the street outreach, meeting people who live night after night in the open. During this part of the experience, the group had the privilege of meeting and celebrating Mass with Fr Fabio Attard sdb, the Maltese newly elected Rector Major of the Salesian Congregation. His words, drawn from years of pastoral work, invited the students to see service not as an obligation but as a way of finding
meaning.
Beyond the volunteering, some moments nourished the spirit in other ways. The students walked through Rome’s narrow streets and ancient piazzas, took in its art and history, and stood shoulder to shoulder in St Peter’s Square during a Papal Mass celebrated by Pope Leo for the Solemnity of 1st December which was also the Jubilee of the World of Education.
The days in Rome were both demanding and deeply rewarding. For many students, it was the first time they had come so close to people living in poverty. What began as an act of service became an encounter with dignity and hope.
One student reflected that it is easy to walk past someone sitting on the street, but after this experience, they would now stop and truly see the person. This experience forms part of St Paul’s Missionary College’s ongoing commitment to live the missionary charism of the Missionary Society of St Paul. It calls students to look beyond their own needs, to recognize that faith finds its strength not in words but in concrete love. In Rome, among the poor and the pilgrims, the students discovered that service is not just something to do, but a way of becoming more human together.