Inauguration of Academic Year 2025-2026
The Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum (APRA) officially celebrated the start of the new 2025-2026 Academic Year with a solemn Inaugural Ceremony held today.
In a particularly significant year, the Jubilee Year, the event focused on Hope as the central virtue, creating an ideal bridge between the Academic Community, Alumni, Partners, numerous Institutional Guests, and the Media.
Focus on Hope in the Rectorâs Address
The official opening was entrusted to the Rector, Fr. JosĂ© Enrique OyarzĂșn, L.C., who, in his anticipated Inaugural Address, underscored the spiritual importance of this theological virtue:
“As a theological virtue, hope is a gift from God that directs our gaze toward the future with the certainty that history has a profound meaning: Christ is its center and culmination.”
The Lectio Magistralis on New Technologies
Great attention was garnered by the Lectio Magistralis delivered by H.E. Rev. Msgr. Renzo Pegoraro, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life. His timely intervention explored âThe Anthropological and Ethical Dimension of New Technologies,â offering crucial insights for contemporary debate.
Academic Excellence and Student Voices
The ceremony included a special segment dedicated to Academic Excellence, featuring the awarding of prizes to several outstanding students. The event was further enriched by testimonials from the community, both live and via video.
Representing the voices of students and alumni were:
- Angelo Licameli, gynecologist and second-year student in the Licentiate in Bioethics.
- Fr. Hermel Ruperto GonzĂĄlez CalderĂłn, a diocesan priest from Ecuador and alumnus of the Baccalaureate in Theology.
The Athenaeum sincerely thanks the Excellencies the Ambassadors to the Holy See, the entire Academic Community, and all participants who made this start of the year an unforgettable one.