Roman Echoes Anniversary

Celebrating 25 YEARS

roman echoes

“I was always flabbergasted at how unknown the North American College was among Catholic Americans. Our idea was to begin an attractive, colorful publication to change that. At the time we had men talented in journalism and marketing who were generously willing to help produce it. From the beginning it was very popular among alumni, benefactors, and the wider public. When people became acquainted with the College — after a visit to Rome, because their parish priest had prepared there — they ‘felt at home,’ ‘part of the family,’ and wanted to stay in touch. Glad it’s still going strong!”

His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan ’76, Rector ’94-’01 • Archbishop of New York

To Tell a Great Story:

REV. MR. SETH LEMAIRE ’21, DIOCESE OF LAFAYETTE

Everyone loves to tell a great story, something that will captivate and keep the attention of those who are willing and eager to listen. But whether that story is based on some experience we have had in the past, or perhaps something significant that we have learned in our lives, a good story takes work, a bit of finesse, and sometimes a great deal of editing as time goes on.

This was my experience as the Editor-in-Chief of Roman Echoes: to tell the story of the seminarians, the faculty, and the College itself. It was not so much about what we do here but the story of who we are: men being formed for the priesthood of Jesus Christ in the very heart of the Church, Rome. Men and women spend their entire lives on a journey to “cross the Tiber,” as it were, and we do so every day, just on our morning walks to and from class.

As you look through the digital archives of Roman Echoes, you find that this magazine itself is a story that has been told, year by year, issue by issue, with its own history, its own story. What was once known as NAC Magazine in 1996, over time came to acquire a new face, taking on a new cover design in 2002 and once again in 2009, 2012, 2016, and now in 2020, developing over time just as the College itself has developed. Even its name changed—to Roman Echoes in 2012 in homage to the title of the old College yearbooks produced in the 1950s.

But then, you open the cover, and the story begins. Article after article, the story gets told, our story gets told. The pride of seeing the story take form in each issue of Echoes is matched only by an equal amount of humility in being the one entrusted to tell the story, a task the Roman Echoes team takes on each year. By commissioning articles, interviewing seminarians, faculty, and alumni, and gauging the community’s response in our “Voices of NAC” segment, we see the goal

To Tell a Great Story: Celebrating 25 Years

before us: to tell our readers how the men of the College are growing closer to Jesus Christ, by telling them the story of what we do, and more importantly, who we are.

This was perhaps the most impactful part of my time as the Editor-in-Chief, to be able to listen to the voices (or perhaps the Echoes) in the College, the stories they told. After all, every article and photograph is created and chosen by the very men within the College. Of course, there are extra hands involved to whom we are extremely grateful, such as an outside graphic designer for the magazine itself, but even in this design process much of the direction comes from the students. And all of this, simply to tell the story of the College.

My own experience as editor of Roman Echoes was, of course, unique during its time. The COVID-19 pandemic was no stranger to the College, and with it we were only able to cover half of the year properly. But the inspiring thing is that even though the full spread of issues was unable to be published throughout the year, the story continued to develop. Men remaining at the College and those who returned home both continued to be formed, continued to grow, and continued to pray for each other, for all of you, and for the College itself, that its purpose remain constant and firm as her motto emphasizes, Firmum est cor meum.

Everyone loves to tell a great story. And this story gets told to thousands of alumni, benefactors, visitors, parents, bishops, and members of the College, who in their dedication and support are eagerly waiting to listen, learn, and grow with the experiences that we are eager to share. This is what NAC Magazine, Roman Echoes, and the story of The Pontifical North American College have done, are doing, and will continue to do, all for the glory of God. n