Join Collegium Institute and Dappled Things for the Summer 2026 season of Global Catholic Literature.

But I think happiness springs from another source, a far deeper one that doesn't depend on will because it comes from love.

For the latest season of Global Catholic Literature, Passion and Death in Nero's Rome: Henryk Sienkiewicz's Quo Vadis, we will venture into Polish Nobel Laureate Henryk Sienkiewicz's sweeping epic novel Quo Vadis (1896). Set in Nero's Rome, Quo Vadis chronicles the rise and persecution of the nascent Christian Church under the leadership of Peter the Apostle. The clash of cultures, classes, and civilizations provides the backdrop to a deeply moving love story between the brash Roman pagan patrician Vinicius, nephew of the urbane, witty Petronius, and the beautiful Christian barbarian Lygia. Vinicius must choose between his life of service to the empire and his devotion to Lygia--a choice with lasting consequences, both temporal and eternal.

The title of Sienkiewicz's novel quotes the words of Peter the Apostle to Christ on the Appian Way--"Quo vadis? Where are you going?"--as he attempts to flee Rome and the threat of crucifixion. Sienkiewicz evokes a Rome that is precariously situated between its Christian destiny and Pagan decadence. Join us as we walk with characters from history and scripture in the longest novel Global Catholic Literature has read to date.

Dates: Mondays in June (7:00 - 8:30 pm EDT), virtual via Zoom.

• June 8

• June 15

• June 22

• June 29

Registration:

• Early Bird Registration: $65 through May 15

• Regular Registration: $75 through June 1

To register via Eventbrite, click the button below. Questions? Please contact Joe Perez-Benzo (jperezbenzo@collegiuminstitute.org).