"What more could we do for the Holy See and its mission to explore and share the wonders which were present in His wonderful Universe?" This was the question that Martin McCarthy, S.J., of the Vatican Observatory pondered as he paced the upper terrazzo of the Papal palace at Castel Gandolfo one night. His answer was a departure for the Vatican Observatory. We had long been generous in sharing our facilities at Castel Gandolfo with the occasional visiting astronomers. Why not share them with young scholars, and twenty-five or so at a time? They could come for a month to receive teaching and inspiration from our staff and from our colleagues, some of the best contemporary observers and professors. The school would be in English, so as to aid those young, non-English speakers to adapt to the scientific lingua franca.

With these thoughts, with the subsequent approval of George Coyne, S.J., the Observatory's Director, and with the cooperation of all the staff, the Vatican Observatory Summer School (VOSS) was born. Since their start in 1986, there have now been six. The pattern of the first school has persisted: two "master" professors are invited to teach the month-long school, with an additional one or two professors coming for a shorter time; about twenty-five students at the early graduate school level are invited; they are a mix of men and women; we do not ask of their religion in the applications, but only of their ability and interest in astronomy; there is an emphasis on those from developing countries, who receive at least 75% of their expenses to ensure that they come; the students have access to all our study and recreational facilities at the Papal palace; through a "free lunch" together each day and organised outings, interaction among students and faculty is encouraged.

This has proved a very successful pattern. The people invited, the place, the right amount of weeks together, have blended each time to produce "a peak experience", in the words of one of the 1990 faculty, Robert Garrison (University of Toronto). Garrison went on to say, "[The students'] enthusiasm renewed my faith in real education. What struck me was that the students really appreciated the opportunity to study with good astronomers in a trusting environment. They took responsibility for their own education ..." So, there are no tests or exams to goad the students. Graduation is dependent upon picking up greater knowledge of and enthusiasm for astronomy; and all the students have so far graduated.

That enthusiasm has persisted. I see it when I pick up an astronomical journal and find a paper authored by a former student; I see it when I meet them at conferences (we generally try to gather VOSS alumni together for a dinner); I see it when I hear of friendships continuing, something helped greatly by the advent of e-mail. Particularly, I saw it this last June when alumni were invited back to Castel Gandolfo for a week-long conference on astronomical research and education, "Super-VOSS". Out of a total 150 alumni, 58 managed to make the reunion, along with several faculty. Chris Impey (faculty from 1995 and professor at the University of Arizona) had done a wonderful job in organising the scientific programme. In the mornings we heard about the latest findings on the solar system, on stars, on galaxies into the far distance, and on cosmology. In the afternoons we discussed education and research in developing countries, women in science, and science and religion. I was particularly glad to see how the alumni, once they had got up to date with their own "class", then made contacts with those from other years who came from the same geographical region or who had similar research interests. The "pattern" was again working successfully.

At Super-VOSS one of the alumni remarked, "The best school is always the next school." I think he meant to divert attention from comparing the merits of one school with another and towards the responsibility that all the alumni had of encouraging good students to apply for the next, thus continuing the power of the experience they had all had during their first month at Castel Gandolfo. Yes, the Vatican Observatory also looks towards the next school, coming in June 1999. I shall be dean for the third time, and I have again invited as faculty three astronomers who are good people, unique researchers, and great teachers. George Coyne, S.J., and I are reviewing the applications of the students as they are coming in just now from all over the world. With God's blessing, the Vatican Observatory should be able again to give that bit "more" towards making God's wonderful Universe known.