Jesus said to Peter: “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4). Although Peter had been fishing all night without success, he was obedient: he steered his ship toward deep waters, cast his net, and received a harvest of fish so great that it threatened to overwhelm the boats. Thus began Peter’s life as a disciple. Duc in altum, “put out into the deep” – these are words of bold encouragement and confident hopefulness.

In that spirit, the Humanities Program invites Providence College students to participate in our Duc in Altum Catholic culture immersion experiences. Through these experiences, you will steer toward “the deep,” toward places of profound spiritual, intellectual, and cultural significance, to receive once more from God’s abundant generosity.

Duc in Altum experiences will introduce you to the Catholic intellectual and cultural tradition through immersion in the ideas, history, culture, and locations of this tradition. Imagine spending two weeks in Krakow, Poland, studying the lives and writings of John Paul II, Faustina Kowalska, and Maximilian Kolbe; or two weeks in Oxford, England, studying C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and John Henry Newman. You might travel to Catholic Mexico City to encounter Our Lady of Guadalupe, or join thousands of pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago in Spain.

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What to Expect

Duc in Altum experiences emphasize four core elements:

Daily study and conversation,

centered on texts, works of art, or music with a special connection to the places we are visiting (you might read and discuss C. S. Lewis’s The Four Loves in “The Eagle and the Child,” the Oxford pub where Lewis, Tolkien, and the other “Inklings” met regularly to converse and read one another’s writing).

Regular prayer and reflection,

often in places of special importance in Catholic history (imagine praying the divine office – and singing “Lead Kindly Light,” composed by Newman – at Littlemore, where John Henry Newman was received into the Church).

Fellowship and friendship,

the hope of all young people, receives special depth and significance when a group is bound together closely for travel, study, prayer, and exploration, focused especially on shared meals and recreation (perhaps you will share an evening meal on the hillside of the Uffington White Horse, a few miles outside of Oxford and the inspiration for G. K. Chesterton’s great Marian poem The Ballad of the White Horse).

Walking in the steps of the saints,

the desire of all pilgrims, is the context for the study, conversation, prayer, reflection, and fellowship of the Duc in Altum immersion experiences. Catholicism is a religion of place, and of the senses, and students who pray where Newman prayed, or stand where Thomas Becket stood when he was martyred, thereby join themselves to the communion of saints and the universal church in a special and profound way.

Upcoming Duc in Altum Experiences

Surprised by Joy (Oxford, England; Spring Break, 2024; includes college credit)

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Christ in the Desert (Moab Desert, Utah; Spring Break, 2024)

Led by Fr. Justin Bolger and Dr. Raymond Hain, Christ in the Desert emphasizes leadership development within the spiritual and intellectual context of the Catholic and Dominican tradition. Participants will travel to the Moab Desert in Utah where they will learn outdoor skills, including canoeing and canyoneering, within the context of Lenten spiritual and intellectual reflection and professional leadership development exercises. Hosted by COR Expeditions. Open by invitation only. For more information, contact Fr. Justin Bolger, Providence College Chaplain, or Dr. Raymond Hain, Associate Director of the Humanities Program.