In anticipation of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the United States in April—including a meeting with the presidents of all U.S. Catholic colleges and diocesan education officials—the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) has urged Americans to celebrate the Feast of the Seat of St. Peter on Friday with prayers for the Holy Father and for fidelity in Catholic education to his teaching authority.

The feast, having been observed on February 22 in various forms as far back as the fourth century, highlights the Pope’s unique role and his primacy on religious matters for Catholics worldwide.

Patrick J. Reilly, the president of the Cardinal Newman Society, said, “This feast day allows us a special opportunity to pray for Pope Benedict and consider his important role as shepherd to the Church, with vital implications for Catholic education.

“For the thousands of Catholics engaged in the renewal of Catholic higher education, this feast underscores the importance of U.S. Catholic colleges and universities remaining faithful to the Holy Father’s vision and the apostolic constitution Ex corde Ecclesiae.”

The Pope will visit Washington, D.C., and New York in April, and one of the key events for faithful Catholics will be his meeting with Catholic college presidents and diocesan education officials at The Catholic University of America on April 17.

Reilly added, “The Holy Father’s visit and meeting with college presidents present an unparalleled opportunity for U.S. Catholic colleges to reflect on their fidelity to Church teachings. We are blessed by a number of institutions which remain strongly committed to the Magisterium, and we look forward to increasing that number.”

Twenty-one Catholic colleges and universities which have been successful in maintaining and promoting their Catholic identity are profiled in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College: What to Look for and Where to Find it, published by CNS in November 2007.