Week ten: Getting to know Papa Francesco

We are approaching Holy Week and we have a new Holy Father, so my life has become ALL VATICAN, ALL THE TIME.

And I couldn’t be happier about this development.

Of course, everybody in the whole city seems to have the same idea.  St. Peter’s Square has been packed lately, no matter when I go, and the events attached to the new papacy only add to the madness.  In the past week I have gotten up at an absurd hour three times already – once for a pilgrimage to Assisi, once for the papal inauguration mass, and once, this morning, for the Palm Sunday mass presided over by Pope Francis himself.

First, let me say once again, I feel so lucky and so very blessed to be here now.  This experience – the excitement of the new pope and the upcoming Easter season – has inspired me and has filled me with joy.  The opportunity to study abroad is a blessing in itself, and the opportunity to be in Rome right now… even more so.  I will say it again and again, but I do not think I will ever be able to express just how grateful I am to have been given this chance.

And now to catch up.  After all the excitement of the papal election last week, a small group of students here at the J-Force made a pilgrimage to Assisi with campus ministry.  This trip had been planned since the semester started, but the timing could not have been more perfect!  It was incredibly moving to go to Assisi just after our new Holy Father took his name from St. Francis of Assisi.  We spent the day learning about St. Francis and St. Clare, reflecting on their lives, and praying for Papa Francesco and the future of the Church… and then ended the day with a large, delicious dinner at an agroturismo in Perugia.

The Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi

The Basilica of St. Clare in Assisi

I have to include this picture to illustrate just how mind-boggingly gorgeous Assisi is.

The following Sunday was Pope Francis’s first Angelus.  Every Sunday at noon, the pope looks out over St. Peter’s Square to say a few words and pray the Angelus with the thousands of pilgrims who flock to Rome.  I made it down to the Square at about 10:30 and could not even move, the crowd was so thick.  Little did I know then, but that was because Papa Francesco was coming out into the street to greet people (much to the dismay of the Swiss Guard, I’m sure!).  At noon, the pope began his sermon in Italian, of course, and though I did not understand much, it felt very friendly and casual – like I was hearing the homily from the priest at my parish back home.  He even cracked a few jokes (at least, all the Italians around me were chuckling…).

Then, on Tuesday, the pope’s inaugural mass was held in St. Peter’s Square.  Unlike the Palm Sunday or the Easter masses, this one had no tickets… so getting in was a crazy, crazy free-for-all!  My friends and I got up at 4am to start walking down to the Vatican and we still weren’t first in line (I don’t know how, but there is always someone awake earlier than us!).  When the gates finally opened at 6:30, the crowd just started to push – which was the most terrifying experience of my entire life.  I just had to relax and let myself be pushed through the funnel caused by some hasty security checks.  Finally, though, we all made it in alive and got a good spot right by an aisle.  Unfortunately, no tickets means no chairs, so we had to stand all through the mass (which did not start until 9:30!), but OH WAS IT WORTH IT.  A little before mass started, Papa Francesco came out in the popemobile and began greeting the crowd, which was awesome.  The mass was shorter than we were expecting, and we all had been given little books as we entered (don’t ask me how they got those books passed out in the chaos), so we could actually participate and sing along.  This was my first big mass at the Vatican, and I was amazed at how intimate it felt, even though I was there, standing, with 100,000 other people.  The greatest feat of the day, however, was how they managed to distribute communion to all 100,000 of those people… I would call it a miracle.

The Swiss Guard is preparing the aisle, so that must mean...

...the pope is coming! Buongiorno, Papa Francesco!

Finally, this morning was the Palm Sunday mass.  For this one, we were lucky enough to have tickets (and chairs!) so we only left at 6:45.  Unlike the papal inauguration, which was loud and excited like a pep rally, this mass felt more like a mass, with everyone remaining silent and prayerful as Papa Francesco rode in on his popemobile.  Palm Sunday mass was very long, as usual, and I got home exhausted this afternoon, but it was absolutely worth it.  It’s always worth it.

I am so happy to be here.  I cannot believe I am here.  And I am so excited for Holy Week.

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