Truth & Beauty Project revives Christian culture through transformative experience in Rome

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 24, 2024 / 09:45 am (CNA).

With the conclusion of its recent July 8–13 young adult immersion, the Truth & Beauty Project offered participants immersive and transformative experiences in Rome, having encouraged them to revive a Christian culture through their encounters of “truth through beauty.”

The nonprofit offers both young adult and curated immersion trips throughout the year to those who wish to “fall in love with the roots of their Christian faith” and acquire a “deeper understanding of the dignity of the human person, through experiences of art, Scripture, liturgy, and beauty in Rome.”

“Coming to Rome without a Catholic perspective means that you’re missing out on the true meaning of Rome,” participant Moritz Scholtysik shared with EWTN Vaticano. “We are in the heart of Europe, essentially the heart of Christian Europe. If you come here with an open heart and an open mind to the Christian history and culture, only then can you truly experience Rome to its fullest extent.”

Often credited as an epicenter of Christianity, millions of people flock to Rome each year to visit its monuments, art, and over 900 churches.

The Truth & Beauty Project’s curated immersion trips to the eternal city are typically designed with a focus or theme that best fits the needs of the group. As the project cites, these groups have consisted of “CEOs, professional association members, parish staff, VIPs, donor groups, priests, seminarians, friends, families, and more.”

Additionally, the project offers weeklong young adult immersion trips for those between the ages of 18 and 30. While the total cost is 2,500 euros (about $2,700), those who wish to attend can apply for either a partial or full scholarship.

A typical day for this immersive trip usually consists of morning Mass, prayer, discussions held with speakers, and “a walk of Rome” to experience the city’s “art, architecture, history, and beauty,” among other things.

John and Ashley Noronha, who founded the Truth & Beauty Project seven years ago, share their experiences and intentions behind the project. Credit: EWTN Vaticano screenshot

John and Ashley Noronha founded the Truth & Beauty Project in 2017. Credited as speakers, media personalities, theologians, and pontifical university professors, the couple sat down with EWTN Vaticano to share more about this project.

“The idea behind the Truth & Beauty Project was that we realized that there wasn’t this comprehensive program where one could truly understand their Christian identity from all different aspects,” John shared.

“And I would call the Truth & Beauty Project a school of Christian living because it’s an experience,” Ashley added, “a weeklong experience in Rome that really speaks to answer the questions that I think resonate in all of our human hearts: Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? What is God calling me to?”

Participant Katie Mlinek told EWTN Vaticano: “Being able to step away and go into these spaces that are much older than you and much grander than you help you remember that you are a part of a bigger story and something much grander than your own individual life.”

Citing Psalm 27:4 — “All I ask and this I seek is to dwell in the house of the Lord, and to gaze at his beauty for ever and ever!”— the Truth & Beauty Project wishes to “empower” its participants “to make their lives a masterpiece and to go out to share that masterpiece with the world.”

Father Vinay Kamath, who is orginally from the Diocese of Bombay, India, and currently works as a missionary priest in Riga, Latvia, mirrored this in recounting his recent experience attending a young adult immersion trip.

“It’s amazing what can be done by God and the Holy Spirit in six days with the right environment, with the right focus, and with the right innovation and fellowship,” Kamath shared.

Describing the young people in his group as initially being “hesitant” to get to know one another, Kamath then expressed how quickly they soon “bonded together,” feeling “at home” and as though “they’re with a family.”

“I think this is a beautiful experience of love, friendship, and fellowship, which I believe will last a lifetime for some of these young people,” he continued. “And they will go back richer, happier, and I believe holier as well.”

Those who wish to learn more about the Truth & Beauty Project can visit its website, or view recent coverage of the project on “EWTN News Nightly” below.