Meet John & Ashley Noronha
We didn't set out to create the Truth & Beauty Project. We kept running into the same question: What moves a person from knowing about God to seeing Him everywhere—and living accordingly?
After years working in education, communications, media, theology, technology, leadership, and as professors, we saw how easy it is for people to learn about the faith without ever allowing it to reshape the way they see the world—or the way they live.
And we began to wonder: What if formation could be different?
What if, instead of simply telling people what is true, we could help them encounter truth through beauty?
Why Rome?
We’ve lived in Rome since 2008, and we’ve come to believe that there is simply nowhere else quite like it.
Here, the Gospel did not remain an idea, but shaped a civilization. Faith took visible form in churches, art, music, architecture, liturgy, and the lives of the saints. For nearly two thousand years, Romans and pilgrims have walked these streets, prayed in these churches, and encountered the Christian faith through beauty.
We believe there is no substitute for experiencing that living tradition firsthand.
Here in Rome, we discovered that the Church’s greatest teachers are not found only in books and classrooms, but also in the places, people, and works of beauty that make the faith tangible.
That discovery became the foundation of the Truth & Beauty Project in 2017.
Today, we invite others to come and encounter that beauty for themselves—and to carry what they discover home to their families, professions, parishes, and communities.
JOHN
My journey from engineering to theology taught me something unexpected: beauty has an intelligible structure. The more I studied sacred architecture, the more I discovered that beautiful things teach profound theological truths. Today I help others learn to read those truths written into the stones of Rome.
Again and again I have seen that stories have the power to change lives. Whether reporting from the Vatican, teaching future communicators, or teaching TBP participants in Rome, I have seen that the most compelling stories are the ones that lead people to encounter truth through beauty.
ASHLEY
Each week since 2012, I have had the joy of inviting listeners around the world to "visit" Rome as the Rome Correspondent for Relevant Radio. Sharing the life of the Church from the Eternal City has shown me that Rome is far more than a place of extraordinary history—it is a living witness to the beauty, wisdom, and hope of the Catholic faith.
My time serving the Holy See under Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, together with my work in journalism, television, and higher education, has helped me learn that while information informs the mind, beauty captures the imagination. And it's the encounter with Christ that changes the heart. That conviction has became one of the guiding inspirations behind the Truth & Beauty Project.
Today, I delight in helping others discover that same beauty for themselves. Whether leading an Immersion, teaching communications, coaching leaders, or telling stories through television and radio, my hope is that each participant leaves with a renewed sense of wonder, a deeper love for the Church, and the confidence to live as God's masterpiece—bringing truth, beauty, and goodness into every sphere of life.
Professional Leadership
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Co-Founder & Executive Director, Truth & Beauty Project
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Former Official, Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Holy See, serving the pontificates of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis
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Professor of Communications, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross
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Rome Correspondent, Relevant Radio
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Host, The Vatican Today TV
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Former Professor of The Art of Leadership & Communication, European University of Rome
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Creator of the international Media Training for Priests program, taught to priests and seminarians worldwide since 2010
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Former Host and Anchor, Voice of the Vatican TV
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International consultant and executive coach in crisis communications, conflict resolution, public speaking, media relations, and leadership development, serving organizations across four continents
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Former executive in lifestyle marketing for Kraft Foods, Discover Card, JCPenney, 3Com, and Universal Pictures
Honors
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Named among Inside the Vatican magazine's "Top 10" (January 2026)
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Springtime Award for Outstanding Service in the New Evangelization
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Wilbur Fellow
Education
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Licentiate (STL) in Church Communications
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Master's Degree in Moral Theology
Living in the Eternal City transformed the way I understood the Catholic faith. Here, theology is not confined to books or classrooms—it is proclaimed through churches, sculptures, paintings, liturgy, and the lives of the saints. Every piazza and basilica reveals something about God, the dignity of the human person, and the Christian vision that shaped one of history's greatest civilizations.
Those discoveries became the foundation of the Truth & Beauty Project. I came to see that beauty is not merely something to admire—it teaches. Sacred architecture reveals theology. Great works of art shape the imagination. The witness of the saints demonstrates that holiness can transform history. My goal is to help participants discover the deep harmony between truth, beauty, and goodness and apply that wisdom to leadership, vocation, relationships, and everyday life.
Whether we are exploring Scripture, philosophy, sacred art, architecture, Church history, or the witness of the saints,
I believe every Christian is called to become a builder of culture. My hope is that participants leave Rome with the wisdom, courage, and vision to shape their own families, professions, parishes, and communities according to truth, beauty, and goodness.
Professional Leadership
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Leader, New Technology Initiatives, Verizon Global Telecommunications
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Member, Papal Reform Commission, Holy See
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University instructor, various universities
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Professor of Technology, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross
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International speaker and retreat leader for bishops, clergy, executives, educators, families, and young adults from around the world
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Co-founder and Director of Formation, Truth & Beauty Project
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Springtime Award for Outstanding Service in the New Evangelization
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Wilbur Fellow
Education
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Master's Degree in Electronics
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Master's Degree in Telecommunications Engineering
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Master's Degree in Systematic Theology
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Licentiate (STL) in the Thought of Joseph Ratzinger
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Licentiate (STL) in Augustinian Studies
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Master's Degree in Computer Engineering and Information Systems
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Doctoral studies in Bioethics (abd)