Marymount International School Rome joyfully celebrated its 75th anniversary on October 14-15, 2021. The whole community gathered on the first day for a beautiful liturgy, including priests of St. Paul’s Parish and the Pontifical Scots College, RSHM sisters, members of the Board of Regents, families, staff, past and present students. His Eminence Cardinal James Harvey presided.
“What a wonderful occasion to be back at Marymount and be able to relive memories from my years here.”
Elizabeth Boon, 1955 graduate
Marymount also received a letter from Pope Francis recognizing the school’s mission and its deep commitment to the transformation of the world for excellence and for good, perfectly capturing the spirit of our community.
Mass: inspiring and joyful
Cardinal Harvey’s inspiring homily commemorated the seventy-five years of Marymount in Rome, beginning with a reflection on how the RSHM founded the school when Italy was just starting to recover from the turmoil, suffering and confusion that marked the end of the WWII.
The sisters imbued the school with the RSHM mission to enable students to know and love God, to make God known and loved, and to proclaim that Jesus Christ has come in order “that all may have life.” With the invaluable help of dedicated teachers, the sisters continue to provide this path that leads students to loving God, themselves, and others while being inclusive of students of all faiths “in order to appreciate the many achievements of the world and advance beyond mere knowledge to wisdom by searching for God.” Gratitude was expressed for all those RSHM, teachers, and staff members, both in the past and the present, who helped and continue to help our students to grow in “learning to love and loving to learn.”
“I was very moved by the extraordinary sense of thanksgiving and joy communicated by all those present at the Mass. From the youngest members of the elementary school to our most senior students there was a powerful collective sense of communion.”
Sarah Gallagher, Headmistress
The Mass was interspersed with the hymns sung by our 75th Anniversary Choir who had prepared for the occasion on two recent choral retreats at the Monastery of Santa Scolastica in nearby Subiaco. The intensive choral workshops featured a superb musical repertoire that included: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee; Gloria; Ave Verum Corpus; Memorial Acclamation; Lamb of God; That All May Have Life and more.
“It was so special to be able to gather as a whole community to celebrate Marymount’s 75th anniversary, which made me even more proud to be part of this great family.”
Marco Valerio Mannocchi, Student Council President and Grade 12 student
An international celebration
The second day focused on Marymount’s internationalism. Throughout the years of Marymount’s history, the school has had the privilege of hosting families from almost every nation on earth. Now, with students from over 70 countries, the number of languages spoken on campus and occasions for cross-cultural learning have grown and with it the opportunity for a deeper sense of unity through diversity. There was a palpable feeling of excitement on this day with an exceptional array of international food stands organized by parents, in addition to a full schedule of games, dance, and sports including a friendly staff vs high school students kickball contest!
“The international food stands really highlighted the diversity of our incredible multicultural community and our students greatly enjoyed tasting dishes from all over the world.”
Helen Davico, Elementary School Principal
As we commemorate 75 years of Marymount in Rome, we reflect once again on how the school remains true to its core commitment: offering international and local students a transformative educational experience, where their academic journey is supported and enhanced by a desire to celebrate God’s love, responding generously to the needs of the world and promoting justice and dignity for all.
