In 2014, a beautiful and very old academic tradition was introduced at the ITI: the annual celebration of the "birthday" of the academic institution, the "Dies natalis". On 1 October 1996, the Feast day of our Patron Saint Therese of Lisieux, the ITI was founded by decree of the Holy See at the initiative of Pope Saint John Paul II. The day's celebrations started with Holy Mass at the Byzantine Chapel in the Schloss, followed by a procession through the main building blessing the classrooms and library. This was then followed by a lecture on "The Language and Mission of Pope Francis", held by Fr. Dr. Federico Colautti, an Argentinian member of our faculty who studied, taught and ministered around the world and who is a priest serving the Church in Austria. The formal part of the Dies natalis was concluded with a festive lunch in the courtyard of the residency buildings, prepared by the students and served under a crisp blue sky. The text of the keynote lecture by Fr. Federico Colautti, a member of the ITI faculty, can be found in the Spotlight and Audio sections of this website.