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.

---

What to Expect

Duc in Altum experiences emphasize four core elements:

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).

Prayer and reflection,

often in places of special importance in Catholic history (students in Krakow, Poland might pray the chaplet of divine mercy, beloved by St. Pope John Paul II, at the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy just outside his native city).

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 (students kayaking on the Green River in the Moab Desert in Utah might cook and eat together on bare ground as they grow in friendship and confidence).

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.

---

Four Types of Duc in Altum Experience

Although all Duc in Altum experiences emphasize study, prayer, fellowship, and imitation of the saints, experiences are also divided into four core categories: the life of the mind, leadership development, works of mercy, and pilgrimage. Some Duc in Altum experiences are organized by the Humanities Program, while others are hosted by campus partners such as the Chaplaincy. See below for our upcoming Duc in Altum opportunities and application information.

Upcoming Duc in Altum Experiences

The Life of the Mind
Surprised by Joy (Oxford, England; Spring Break, 2025; includes college credit)

---

Leadership Development
Christ in the Desert (Moab Desert, Utah; Spring Break, 2025; includes college credit)

---

Leadership Development
Verso l’Alto (Wind River Mountains, Wyoming; August, 2025; includes college credit)