The Pontifical Institute Santa Maria dell’Anima fulfills three main areas of activity: parish and pilgrim pastoral care, and the administration of the priestly college. One of the missions of Santa Maria dell’Anima is to provide all German-speaking pilgrims and visitors in Rome with a sense of home and to show them that their individuality and particular cultural heritage hold an important and recognized place within the diversity of the Catholic Church.

The church of the “Anima” is open to all pilgrims, whether they wish to participate in the parish Mass with the German-speaking community or celebrate a service with their own group accompanied by a priest.

Santa Maria dell’Anima is, first and foremost, the seat of the German-speaking Catholic parish in Rome, participating in the vibrant network of foreign-language communities in the Diocese of Rome. A special feature of the German-speaking parish is that it encourages personal encounters and mutual acquaintance. The parish aims to foster encounters between the Church of Rome and German-speaking Catholic communities abroad. This is especially important for newcomers or members who are in Rome only for a short time. Another characteristic of the parish is that it is closely associated with students who are in Rome for limited study periods, and the parish Masses are often attended by many pilgrims and visitors.

Finally, the third mission of Santa Maria dell’Anima is the priestly college. The college admits priests from dioceses that were once part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation. Here they have the opportunity to deepen their studies and simultaneously become familiar with the Roman Curia and its “style,” so that they can serve in their home dioceses as bridges between the local Church and the center of the universal Church, fostering dialogue and cooperation.

Many of these priests have gone on to hold responsible positions in their home dioceses, and several have been appointed bishops. For example, bishops from Bamberg, Münster, Aachen, Magdeburg, Basel, Eisenstadt, St. Gallen, and Oslo, as well as several auxiliary bishops, are graduates of the “Anima.”