The SCJ International College in Rome: A Long Tradition of Formation, Mission, and Fraternal Life

The SCJ International College in Rome, located within the compound of the Priests of the Sacred Heart’s General House, welcomes SCJ religious each year for their specialization studies in Rome. Its history, spanning over seven decades, reflects the missionary vision of the Venerable Father Léon Dehon, founder of the Congregation, and a constant commitment to internationality, study, and apostolic life. 

Since Its Origins, Faithful to Its Mission

After authorization from the Holy See, construction work on the gigantic building—in the city of Rome, not far from the Vatican, which was to house the General Curia and the SCJ International College—began on January 27, 1951. With the blessing of the new Dehonian house on October 9, 1953, by the Vicar General, Fr. H. Christen, the International College welcomed 23 students for its first academic year (1953-1954), including 4 priests and 19 scholastics. However, they had to wait until the following year for the official inauguration of this house dedicated to formation and research: “Our house was inaugurated on July 8, 1954, by Monsignor Giovanni Battista Montini, who was then Pro-Secretary of State of the Holy See and who became Pope Paul VI, and now Saint Paul VI,” specifies Father Gilbert Kamta, scj, Superior of the International College since 2022.

Intellectual Formation in an International Fraternity

Initially welcoming students of various nationalities for both classical formation and specialization studies, the International College today only welcomes Dehonians who are Priests or Deacons, who, having completed their classical formation, are sent there by their respective entities for specialization studies. On the occasion of the start of the 2025-2026 academic year, solemnly celebrated on September 27th in the presence of the Superior General, Father Gilbert, whose three-year mandate was renewed on the same occasion, reiterated the objective of this house: “The house’s objective lies in study, specialization in various fields of knowledge within the different Pontifical Universities and other Roman establishments, as well as in the concrete experience of internationality and interculturality, which constitutes one of the priceless riches of our Congregation.” This reality of internationality is better understood when the Superior, himself a Cameroonian, details the composition of the community for this new academic year. Indeed, he specifies, the community will journey this year with 21 student confreres representing four continents:

• Asia: India, Vietnam, Philippines, and Indonesia.
• South America: Brazil and Venezuela.
• Europe: Belarus, Poland, and Portugal.
• Africa: D.R. Congo, Cameroon, Madagascar, and Mozambique.

A Treasure to Share

This cultural and geographical diversity within the fraternity not only represents the current face of the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart but also constitutes a source of constant enrichment for the present and future of the Institute. Already in Rome, the community shares this treasure of internationality through the pastoral commitment of the confreres, especially during holiday periods, thanks to a fruitful collaboration with the Parish of Saint Michael the Archangel of Boville Ernica and other local pastoral activities, according to the Community Superior.

In 2024, the International College joyfully celebrated its 70th anniversary, marking seven decades of faithful presence and service in the Eternal City. As it now approaches the 2025–2026 academic and community year, it solemnly renews its commitment to formation, fraternal life, and service to the universal Church, always with a total abandonment to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.