ROME – Catholic students in Rome bear witness to the Eucharist during a solemn procession Thursday to mark 25 years of their student-led worship program.
Students and clergy offered visible testimony of faith in the Real Presence during a procession on the campus of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas – the “Angelicum” – on 16 April.
Students and faculty of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome participate in a eucharistic procession on the university’s campus on April 16, 2026. Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News
Cardinal Dominic Mamberti, prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, led the procession. Earlier in his sermon, Mamberti referenced soon-to-be-beatified Archbishop Fulton Sheen, calling worship an experience that “mysteriously changes our hearts.” He later spoke to EWTN News about the need to develop such practices in the broader church.
The Cardinal said it is beautiful when youth congregations dedicate a part of their time to the adoration of the Lord in the Eucharist. “We consider Him to be truly present under the eucharistic species and this is an integral part of our faith,” he said. “Otherwise our faith is in vain…For if Christ is not present in the bread, in the Eucharist, and in the wine of the Eucharist, it means that he has not been risen, as St. Paul says.”
faith amidst challenges
Amid challenges to the eucharistic faith, the rector of the Angelicum, Dominican Father Thomas Joseph White, described the procession as a sign of revival among the youth. Angelicum established student-led worship in 2001 in response to the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Paul II.
Dominican Father Thomas Joseph White, rector of the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, speaks to EWTN News on April 16, 2026. Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News
White said, “Eucharistic adoration has become more prominent in at least some areas of the Church in recent decades. Some of this was related to initiatives during the papacy of John Paul II, when (student adoration) started here.”
The pastor said, “St. Thomas understood this mystery (of the Eucharist) deeply; he reflected on it, he wrote about it, and studying his thinking about the Eucharist here gives our students a deeper appreciation of the Eucharist.” It also helps students to pray more deeply and explain the mystery of the Eucharist to today’s world as 21st century missionaries.
Impact of the program on students
Marcia Vanderstraten, who is from Singapore and studying for a theology licentiate (similar to a master’s degree), described the student worship program as a blessing, giving students the opportunity to pray between classes.
He said, “Students find great comfort in seeing, praying and reflecting on Jesus during their breaks. Having a eucharistic presence in the midst of our community is something that really means a lot to many of us.”
Students at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome take part in a eucharistic procession on the university’s campus on April 16, 2026. Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News
