“Come Si Dice? ” From Genova To Rome, Assisi And Beyond
By Vincent Opiyo, SJ
From the hills of Genova back to the heart of Rome, our journey continues! After a month of wrestling with Italian grammar but armed with a survival phrase, come si dice? (to literally mean, how do you say), the 20 first years of the Collegio Internazionale del Gesù returned to the Eternal City on 29 August 2026.
On Sunday, 6 September, the group, a small world united by the Ignatian adventure and, for now, our shared battle with Italian had the privilege of visiting the General Curia of the Society of Jesus. We travelled through history, exploring preserved parts of the old suburb and important corners of the Jesuit world. A particularly memorable moment was our visit to the Aula of the General Congregation, where we sat in the place where Pope Francis addressed the 36th General Congregation. For a few moments, history had our seats—and thankfully, nobody asked us to address a General Congregation!
Another fascinating discovery was the confirmation that Pope Francis was truly one of us, how? I leave it to you to guess.
The following day, Monday, 7 September, we jumped on a two-and-a-half-hour train to Assisi, the city of St Francis. It was a consoling pilgrimage through places associated with the saint who loved God, humanity and creation. We walked where St Francis lived, prayed and spent moments of his religious life, as well as sites connected with St Clare.
Coincidentally, our pilgrimage took place on the same date as the canonisation of St Carlo Acutis last year, adding a connection to our visit to Assisi, where his remains are preserved.
Meanwhile, our second-year brothers, Linus Tigiti and Gerald Kway, had already departed for Spain on 25 August for their Arrupe Month in Loyola. We eagerly await their return to Rome this month—hopefully spiritually renewed and perhaps ready to tell us similarities between Spanish and Italian, però…(but)!
From Genova to Rome, Assisi and Loyola, the Vatican standard—as Regan Sanga always puts it—continues!
Da Roma è tutto! Alla prossima!
