"We want to serve the Church in the way the Church wants to be served." That was the message that leaders of The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology brought to the Eternal City of Rome in mid-March.

The Rome pilgrimage included meetings with Vatican officials and leading biblical scholars, as well as teachings and talks at two Pontifical seminaries and a lecture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute.

"We came to the heart of the Church to present ourselves and our work," said Dr. Scott Hahn, Founder of the St. Paul Center. "And we were confirmed and enthusiastically encouraged in our mission."

Dr. Hahn, along with Center Vice President Mike Aquilina and Editorial Director David Scott, met with officials in the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and Congregation for Catholic Education, which oversees the world's seminaries and colleges.

Meetings were also held with officials from Regina Apostolorum, a Pontifical University, and from the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

During the week-long tour, Dr. Hahn led a graduate-level seminar at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, attended by seminarians and doctoral students from 15 nations - ranging from Argentina to India.

He also delivered an important paper to more than 100 scholars and students at the Pontifical Biblical Institute.

Dr. Hahn's talk, "A Broken Covenant and the Curse-of-Death," sought to resolve long-standing difficulties over the interpretation of a crucial passage in the Book of Hebrews (9:15-22) dealing with how Christ is "mediator of a New Covenant." The talk will be published in Catholic Biblical Quarterly.

Yet another group of 100 seminarians hosted an informal conversation with Dr. Hahn. Throughout the week, he met privately with graduate students who sought advice on their thesis research.

A unique moment in the pilgrimage was a long meeting of Center leaders with the renowned Sofia Cavalletti at her teaching headquarters in Rome.

Dr. Cavalletti is an Old Testament scholar also known for her work in educational theory, archeology, and interfaith dialogue. In 1954, she created "The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd," a comprehensive Catholic educational program based on the principles of Maria Montessori, that seeks to form young children in a biblical and sacramental worldview.

Dr. Cavalletti expressed her strong support for the mission of the Center and has agreed to contribute a scholarly paper to the inaugural volume of the Center's academic journal, Letter & Spirit.