Choir Trip to Rome

Music and Worship in Sacred Spaces

Throughout the pilgrimage, the Choir offers sacred music in basilicas that have echoed with prayer for generations. Austin Prep choristers have sung at the:

• Basilica of St. Augustine
• Basilica of St. Cecilia in Trastevere
• Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
• Basilica of St. Ignatius of Loyola
• Basilica of St. John Lateran
• Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls
• Basilica of St. Peter in Chains
• St. Peter’s Basilica

Austin Prep has provided music for Mass at the Altar of the Chair of St. Peter inside St. Peter’s Basilica, celebrated by senior cardinals of the Roman Curia. In these moments, students witness how artistry and devotion come together within Catholic worship.

Through sharing the gift of music, students experience firsthand the truth of St. Augustine’s words: Those who sing pray twice.

History envelops them as marble floors worn by pilgrims, frescoes and statues by Michelangelo and Bernini, and sunlight filtering through centuries-old windows surround their voices. Their music becomes both an offering and a prayer.

A highlight of a past pilgrimage was headlining a concert at the Basilica of St. Augustine in Campo Marzio. Surrounded by the iconography and artistic heritage of the Augustinian Order and the final resting place of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine, students experienced a profound connection to the very tradition that shapes Austin Prep. Though thousands of miles from campus, they were, in many ways, right at home.

Discovering the Eternal City of Rome

Rome reveals itself one step, one piazza, one breathtaking view at a time. As pilgrims wander its winding streets, they encounter layers of history and faith woven into daily life. The Eternal City becomes both classroom and chapel, an open-air lesson in art, architecture, theology, and culture.

Students studying Latin recognize inscriptions, mottos, and classical references that appear throughout the city, seeing their coursework come alive in basilicas, monuments, and ancient ruins. Whether visiting renowned landmarks or simply pausing for gelato in a sunlit square, pilgrims experience Rome as a place where community, learning, and Catholic identity come alive.

Families often explore:

• Arch of Constantine
• Circus Maximus
• Colosseum
• Pantheon
• Piazza Navona
• Roman Catacombs
• St. Peter’s Basilica
• Sistine Chapel
• Spanish Steps
• Trevi Fountain
• Vatican Museums
• Vittorio Emanuele II Monument

Pilgrims walk ancient streets, try new foods, capture scenic photos, and enjoy experiences that deepen connections within the Austin Prep community.

Walking in the Footsteps of St. Augustine

Participants in our pilgrimage will follow in the Footsteps of St. Augustine. We invite our community to deepen its connection to the Augustinian heritage, an intellectual and spiritual tradition that has shaped the Church for more than 1,600 years and now comes into renewed focus with the election of Pope Leo XIV, an Augustinian friar.

Guided by Augustinian friars who will accompany us throughout the journey, pilgrims will hear preaching rooted in the themes of interiority, truth, and the restless search for God that animated Augustine’s life and writings. Together, we will reflect on how these enduring insights continue to shape our mission and identity today and our call to be the Augustinian calvary.

The pilgrimage offers the extraordinary opportunity to visit sites associated with Augustine’s own path of conversion and ministry, from Rome to the northern reaches of Italy.

As we walk in the very places where Augustine taught, prayed, questioned, and ultimately surrendered his life to God, pilgrims will experience the richness of a tradition that still speaks powerfully to the modern heart.

Following those same restless steps, we hope travelers return with a renewed sense of purpose, community, and spiritual grounding, hallmarks of the Augustinian way.

Our 2026 trip planning includes visits to some of Italy’s most meaningful and iconic cities, including Assisi, Cascia, Florence, and Milan. Participation in the Austin Prep Choir and the Italy tour is based on ensemble readiness, and students interested in joining the choir or touring with the ensemble will take part in an audition process.

For more information, please contact Dr. Jessica McCormack at jessica.mccormack@austinprep.org.