By Elena Dini
ROME — When universities inquire with The Lay Centre about study-abroad or formation programs for student groups or faculty, Heather Walker takes them from vision to reality.
Walker is the International Study Program Coordinator at The Lay Centre. She makes sure that all of the international study programs organized with and through The Lay Centre are carefully planned and coordinated, from the drawing board to their follow through, and all of this with her signature joyful and welcoming spirit.
The British native works with each university to design a program that meets the university’s goals and specifications. And, once the program starts in Rome, she checks every aspect of the day-to-day execution. Asked to give three adjectives to define her job, Walker said, “Engaging, dynamic, and stimulating.”
Walker can be reached at info@laycentre.org. In the interview below, she shared a little more about her work and relationships with university groups.
Q. What do you enjoy most in your work with groups coming to The Lay Centre?
The thing I like the most is seeing what effect all the different moments, and the whole program, have on the participants. The programs are designed to give participants the possibility of living fellowship, and topics and appointments on the schedule are organized to support these goals. It is very rewarding and satisfying to see what the participants have actually gotten out of the program. We usually take some time to debrief after the closing meal or in our garden before people leave and we hear great feedback.
Q. What are the common highlights of the programs here at The Lay Centre?
The majority of participants come from all over the United States. They have the immediate impact of being in this Eternal City, where incredible archaeology and monuments surround you, and being here at The Lay Centre, situated on a hill steeped in the history of Early Christianity, helps even visually understand that. Our director, Donna Orsuto, used to say Rome is like a “lasagne” — layers of history, one on top of the other, throughout the centuries. When we work on a program for a group, we always think about our mission. Hospitality, encounter, and ecumenical and interreligious dialogue all come to interplay in our programs, and people realize and love that when they live the experience.
Q. Bringing people together and experiencing fellowship really sounds like a key aspect of what happens here at The Lay Centre…
It definitely is. For example, every year we host a group from the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. It is a group of university presidents and faculty, who come here for five days for a very intensive program. They have special meetings and visits to get to know more about the Church. But the time for fellowship, the time to talk to the other participants, who are doing more or less the same work but in another university, is also very much important. Dialogue, friendship and networking happen, and maybe people do not expect that before coming here. Then fellowship very often continues afterwards, beyond their stay in Rome.
Q. Rome is also a place where people can learn about spirituality. How does that happen in The Lay Centre’s programs?
Our collaborators, who have a very good knowledge of the Church here in Rome and abroad and often have studied theology, the history of the Church and much more, invite participants to discover spirituality in places and experiences. Spirituality then leads to prayer. Our programs offer opportunities to pray and this helps the fellowship. Prayer happens in various forms: it can be Mass, Vespers, and the prayer before meals. We usually ask different participants to say a prayer before lunch and dinner. Quite often, people are taken a little by surprise, but they are happy to offer a prayer in their own way, tradition or language.
Q. How do you manage to ensure that all activities are successfully run?
Behind the scenes, every member of the staff at The Lay Centre is involved in some way to ensure the smooth running of the program. Our Leadership Scholars, who are members of the resident student community, play a huge part in achieving this success. I am lucky to have such capable young people working alongside me. They reflect the multi-faith and multicultural reality of The Lay Centre and, through careful guidance and formation, rapidly gain confidence and expertise in this area, which includes hospitality — an important pillar of our mission. They have room to let their own creativity shine through and often take up a leading role in welcoming and speaking to program participants.