Welcoming the Holy Father

Five seminarians attend canonization, hear Pope Francis' message to Keep moving forward!

It was a long drivebut so very worth it. On Tuesday, September 22, five seminarians, including me, left for Washington, D.C. Our aim was to welcome Pope Francis to the United States and attend the canonization Mass of Fr. Junipero Serra in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Sacred Heart received five tickets to the Mass, which was celebrated on Wednesday. I was honored to lead our group there, while the other four tickets were chosen by lottery among the seminarians. The lucky winners were Deacon Ryan Riley, Edgar de la Cruz, David Pellican, and Danny Azzow. We band of pilgrims gathered before our departure and received a blessing from Monsignor Lajiness and many other priests and seminarians in the main entrance to the seminary. We were all excited to welcome the pope, his first visit to our country.

We arrived safely to the capitol, and the next morning we headed out early to pass through security at the basilica. After waiting for a time because some metal detectors not working, we entered the holy space. Deacon Ryan and I were blessed to be able to distribute Holy Communion during Mass and sit behind the main altar. The other men had nice seats near the front of the basilica. As time got closer to when Mass was to start, we heard a wild roar and booming applause from outside. The Pope Francis had arrived!

Deacon Ryan and I, as well as Danny, Edgar, and David, all were about fifteen yards from Pope Francis as he entered the basilica. The canonization Mass was beautiful. It was the first canonization in the United States and St. Junipero became the first Hispanic-American saint. We were all encouraged by the pope's homily message: Keep moving forward! We left the following day on Thursday to return to Sacred Heart.

Reflecting upon this experience, I am extremely grateful. I was blessed and was very happy to welcome our Chief Shepherd to America. I was blessed to be able to assist at Mass and distribute the Blessed Sacrament. The five of us all mentioned how our spirits were raised by our Holy Father's visit and our attendance at a canonization. All praise and thanks be to God!