True power is service

Tuesday, 19 March, the Feast of St. Joseph Husband of Mary, was a momentous day.  Of course, it was the inaugural mass that officially began the Petrine ministry of Pope Francis as Bishop of Rome.  It was also memorable for me, because it's probably the first time I understood most of the homily given in Italian!  And, it was a very good homily.  I would encourage you to read it (in English) at the Vatican Website.  But, I'll offer what I think were the highlights below.

Pope Francis on the big screen.

So, Tuesday morning, my alarm buzzed way earlier than normal (and maybe before some in the US had even went to bed).  It was so early, the coffee hadn't been started in the house.  In the twilight hours of the morning (without coffee mind you), I made my way with a few other Brothers to St. Peter's Square to be present at the mass. I'll be honest - it was a long morning, and I had considered not going because of the crowds and mayhem that I expected would come with a larger-than-normal Papal mass.  But, in the end, I'm glad that I was there to witness the event, even though it included standing for about six hours.  (There was limited seating and I didn't have the golden ticket!)  I do believe it was a once-in-a-liftime event!

Pictures of the crowd don't do it justice.

But even in the big crowd, you can find a familiar face.  (Can you find Fr. Pachi?)

In the homily, Francis said, "How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand....By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own."  This same simplicity and humility was shown in the installation ritual.  After praying at the tomb of St. Peter with the Eastern Patriarchs and the College of Cardinals, Pope Francis left the Basilica and entered the Square.  After a few prayers, he was presented the "pallium," a white shawl of sorts made from lamb's wool that he wears over his shoulders and then the fisherman's ring (in deference to Peter the fisherman.)  In a turn of events, the ring is not solid gold, but simply gold-plated and is a hand-me-down.  Evidently, it had been made, but never worn, during the time of Pope Paul VI.  With simplicity and little fanfare, Francis officially began his ministry.

While it's difficult to see, some of the acolytes have white baseball caps on.

The mass.

More of the mass.

Before the mass, Francis rode around the Square greeting the crowd and stopping to kiss a few babies.  One of the most poignant moments was when he descended from the Pope-mobile to greet and embrace a man with severe physical disabilities.  He put into practice what he said in the homily: "[To be a protector like Joseph] means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about....Caring, protecting, demands goodness, it calls for a certain tenderness....We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness! "  Most definitely a tender moment, not only for the individual, but for all who saw it (even if only on the jumbo-tron.)

Pope Francis in the crowd.

Coming down our pathway.

Just look for the tall guy dressed in white.

The Pontiff also had some pointed words for the cadre of political officials (and all of us) who came for the mass.  "Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world!"  Taking cues from his namesake, Francis of Assisi, he repeatedly mentioned care for the physical world.

Giving the homily.

Probably my favorite message came at the end of his homily.  Referring to the Petrine ministry, he said: "Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, which also involves a certain power. Certainly, Jesus Christ conferred power upon Peter, but what sort of power was it? Jesus’ three questions to Peter about love are followed by three commands: feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to protect!"  These are good words for me to hear as I spend the next few years preparing to be of service in the Society of Mary and in the Church.  Oh that I may heed the words of Pope Francis with the help and grace of God!"

A memorable picture.

I have decided that this is probably the last "big" event I'll attend for a while.  My little introverted self is tired of big, jostling crowds.  I'll wait for "Pope Frenzy" to die down a bit before venturing to the Vatican.  But, I must say, it has been a lot of fun - the initial shock, the anticipation, the joy, the surprise, the learning, and the prayer.  And, I hope, that all of you who read this blog have enjoyed it as much as I have. 

I'll leave you with some other photos from the Sunday Angelus the weekend before.

Ciao!

I actually think there were more people for the Angelus than for the mass.

I guess the Holy Spirit decided to make a repeat performance.

When the Pope entered, he simply said "Buon Giorno."  He ended with "Buona Domenica, e Buon Pranzo" (Have a good Sunday and a good lunch.)

Reading his reflection on Sunday.

I saw this "satellite" car near the Vatican and couldn't resist a picture.

Incredible

Tonight was truly amazing, awesome, wonderful, and so many other things that just haven't sunk in yet.  Never in a million years did I think I would be in St. Peter's Square to see white smoke billowing out of the Sistine Chapel and then to see a new Pontiff emerge from the balcony.  As I type this, I'm getting chills. 

St. Peter's with the Sistine Chapel in the background.

The facade of the Basilica.

As you know, I was in St. Peter's Square this morning when we had black smoke.  This afternoon, I returned with Bros. Javi and Joseph to wait once again.  The difference this time was that the rain was quite a bit harder!  My feet were wet and my arms were tired from holding an umbrella.  5:00 passed with no signal which meant that an inconclusive vote had been reached...again we had to wait. 

All we could see.

Bro. Joseph and Bro. Javi

Your's truly

And we even found Bro. Dani in the crowd.

But, the crowd was growing and there had been rumors all day that today would be the day.  I didn't really believe them.  Several laughs came from the crowd as a pigeon roosted on top of the Sistine chimney.  The Holy Spirit?  In my typical sarcastic way I mentioned that it was probably just a warm place to rest for a bit.

There was no way to get a good picture of the crowd, but it was massive.

Pigeon on the chimeny

Chimney Cam quickly became Bird Cam

Shortly after 7:00, a collective gasp went up from the crowd...is that smoke?  What color is it?  NO WAY!  The crowd went wild when it became very obvious that the smoke was WHITE!  Something short of chaos followed...cheering, hollering, hugging, smiles and looks of disbelief all over the place.  It was soon confirmed as the bells of St. Peter began to peal, adding to the cacophony that had become St. Peter's.

Smoke....

....White Smoke!!!!!

The revelry begins

I wonder how big the ballots are, because there was a whole bunch of smoke!

The bells ringing....beautiful music.

During the next 45 minutes, there was a sort of electricity in the air.  Question of who do you think it will be?  Moments of realization that I was actually here, not watching on television, but actually in the place where millions around the globe were watching on television.  And the rain even stopped! 

We were very happy.

A regiment of the Swiss guard with a band marched in, followed by a regiment and band of the Italian guard.

The Swiss Guard

The Italians

As we waited, not knowing what would happen next, spontaneous chants of "Viva Papa" echoed through the Square.  We sang the Salve Regina, we prayed the Our Father.  It was quite impressive to experience this sense of togetherness with thousands of others from all over the globe. 

Then, a light came on.  Literally, the lights of the balcony came on and, again, a collective cheer came from the crowd.  A Cardinal came out and exclaimed: “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum; Habemus Papam.” In English, “I announce to you a great joy; We have a Pope.”  Then his name was given, and honestly, no one understood it!  Who?  What was that?  Something about Francesco?  

"Habemus Papam"

Slowly, the news filtered through the crowd...Jorge Mario Bergoglio?  From Agentina?  A Jesuit???  And he took the name Francesco?  Then, all the curtains on the balcony opened, the Cardinals came forth, and we got our first glimpse of the new Pope.

Francesco I

Some of the Cardinals

The Cardinals and the new Bishop of Rome

Francesco I then gave his blessing "Urbi et Orbi" - to the city of Rome and to the whole world.  This was, perhaps, the most moving for me.  He spoke of the "journey" that we are all on together.  We prayed an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be in Italian for Pope Emeritus Benedict.  Before giving us his blessing, he asked that all gathered pray that God's blessing be with him, and he asked for a silent prayer.  Kid you not, there were probably hundreds of thousands of people there, and the entire place was absolutely silent.  We're talking "hearing a pin drop" silent.  The only thing heard was a distant police siren...unreal! 

The Pontiff then gave us his blessing, and concluded with "Buona notte e Buon riposo" - "Good night and Sleep well."  An appropriate end to the evening in that, as I looked up, a few stars were starting to emerge from the cloudy skies.

From the big screen.

Still can't believe that I was there and took this picture.

Incredible.

St. Peter's Basilica

Once more the crowd erupted and the bells pealed (I understand even the bells in Dayton were ringing.)  We made our way through the crowd back near home where we enjoyed a celebratory meal of pizza and beer!  A good end to an extraordinary evening.

Toasting our new Pontiff.

It's getting late, and I'm sure I've forgotten things.  But, this is good for now.  I haven't even looked online yet, but I'm sure everyone is sizing Francesco up.  For now, let's just pray for God's many graces and blessings upon our new Pope, upon our Church, and upon all people of good will. 

Good night and sleep well, my friends!

Ciao!

Anticipation

This morning, after class was finished, I met Bro. Javi and we made our way to St. Peter's to look for white smoke.  We arrived in the Piazza around a little before 11:00 and I was surprised by how many people were already gathered there.

The crowd gathers.

It was cold.  It rained on and off.  But, there was excitement in the air.  A group of sisters sang nearby.  Various press personnel were working the crowd.  A seminarian was reading a book by Cardinal Scola.  A construction worker laboring on the colonnade stepped out onto the scaffolding and snapped a quick picture of the crowd.  A sister in the papal residence did the same.  The piazza was getting more and more crowded.  And there I was.  Looking at a chimney.  In the rain. 

All eyes are on you, baby.

Chimney Cam

Around 11:45 the smoke began to puff out of the chimney.  Was this it?  From the crowd you heard, "Fumo, fumo, fumo.....ahhhhhh, nero, nero."  (Smoke, smoke, smoke......ahhhhhhh, black, black.)  Talk about the balloon deflating :(  Actually, it was still quite a bit of fun.  And as I said, yesterday, history in the making.

Looks like black smoke.

Back to praying for the Cardinals.

And so we return this afternoon to wait again. 

Ciao!

Papal Excitement

Tonight at cena (that would be dinner) I found myself asking, “Che cosa divento io?” which can be translated as “What am I becoming?”  Now, don’t worry, this is not some existential crisis that I’m going through.  Even after all the philosophy at UD, I’m pretty sure that I exist. 

 

But, here I am in Rome during a Papal Conclave, and I find myself almost giddy with excitement.  What’s that all about?  I must admit that I usually don’t get too excited about church-hierarchical/government affairs.  Sure, I’m interested in who the local Bishop is (which can be difficult with all my moving around.)  And I like to keep up-to-date on current news of the Church.  But, I would never consider myself a “Vaticanisti” (one who follows the Vatican closely).  But here I am trying to read the latest news reports, looking at videos of the Cardinals filing into the Sistine Chapel, and watching the Vatican webcam!

Current picture from the Vatican webcam.

I think that maybe this all boils down to two things.  First, it is exciting to be here in Rome (the center of it all these days).  I understand that the Church currently finds itself in the midst of a historical time, and it is exciting to be in the middle of it.  Second, I do have a real love for the church.  Even though the church has its issues, it is my church.  I’m reminded of St. Augustine who basically argued that the Church is a mix of sinners and saints.    It’s not always going to be perfect, but we also have faith that God is in the middle of all this, offering compassion and mercy and, above all, love.  I think it is this God who I love.

Luckily, I’m not alone in all of this.  Bro. Javi said that he feels the same way.  And he, too, is stymied by his passion and enthusiasm for all-things-Pope. So, we’ve made plans to head down to St. Peter’s square on Wednesday morning (and maybe again in the evening) just to be a part of all this.  As Javi said, “I don’t care if the smoke is white or black…I just want to see smoke.”  Chalk this up to yet another crazy adventure that, yes, God is in the middle of.

Two Brothers on a mission to see Conclave smoke!

Disclaimer: I am going to St. Peter’s after my classes are finished.  Don’t worry Bro. Charles, I do go to class. 

Ciao!

Questions 4 and 5

Today, you get a special bonus:  two questions answered (well, sort of, you be the judge.)

Question #4: Where does the Pope shop?

You just don’t walk into Kohls and pick up a white cassock and red shoes off the rack.  (This is yet another reason why I could never be Pope.)  But, there is Gammarelli’s in Piazza Santa Chiara near the Pantheon.  It is the tailor shop that has been making vestments for the Pope for the last 100 years or so.  Not knowing who the next Pope will be, and seeing that he will need to be dressed quickly, they have prepared three white vestments of different sizes for the new Pope.  You can be sure there won’t be a wardrobe malfunction when the new pontiff steps onto the balcony of St. Peter’s.  I was in the neighborhood, so I took a stroll past the shop.  All I could find was a hat (but notice that a Swiss Guard is protecting it.)

I wonder if they accept Visa?

I really wanted to ask "Can I try on the hat in the window?"

Of course, the biggest question being asked these days:

Question #5: Who will be the next Pope.

The answer to this question is quite easy…I haven’t a clue!  Everybody has their favorites and their picks.  So, to join in the fun, I offer my “dream team” of candidates.  Now, I have to first say that I don’t really know anything about the individual Cardinals.  My list is solely self-serving.  And, so I offer it in all fun.  Here we go…

(In decreasing order):

5)  Cardinal Agnelo of Brazil.  The website www.newadvent.org has a “Buzz-Meter” that ranks the Cardinals based upon buzz in the press.  It has, in my opinion, very little relevance because it could be good or bad buzz.  At any rate, this Cardinal is ranked number 115 right now.  (Remember, there are 115 voting Cardinals.)  He’s like the last kid to be picked for kickball.  He's on my list because, if elected, I could say, “Told you so.”

4)  Cardinal Ouellette of Canada.  He presided at the prayer service of St. Kateri that I went to.  If elected, I could say I prayed with the Pope.

Slightly embarrassing: I think this is Cardinal Ouellette, but I'm not sure.

3) Cardinal O’Malley of Boston.  If elected, perhaps the brothers would stop making fun of me for how many times I say “Boston” in stories.  Also, he presided at a chapel dedication at the Jesuit Scholasticate in Boston where I lived.  I played piano for the mass.  If elected, I could say I played for the Pope.

Chapel blessed by Cardinal O'Malley (or the future Pope)

2) Cardinal Sepe of Naples.  I got him from www.adoptacardinal.org (No joke, it exists).  If elected, I could say that my prayers helped elect the Pope (okay, not really the intent of the website, but fun all the same.)

I don't have a picture of Cardinal Sepe.  But, Naples is known for pizza, so here's a pizza (unfortunately the pizza is from Mantova, but it was really delicious.)

1) Cardinal Collins of Toronto.  He was also at the St. Kateri prayer service, and I got a picture with him.

With Fr. Louis and the Cardinal (you can figure out who is who.)

But, he also stopped by our house last Saturday for pranzo (lunch).  He is friends with Marianist Fr. Louis who invited him.  I must say, if your image of a Cardinal is a stuffy, out of touch bureaucrat, then he doesn’t fit the mold.  He seems to be a very down-to-earth fellow, and told us that one of the most difficult tasks for him during the Conclave will be giving up his cell phone, ipad, and Kindle.  So, if he is elected, I could say that I had lunch with the Pope.

I got to sit at the grown-ups table.

It was also Bro. Ed's birthday celebration that day. 

Bro. Javi was quite impressed that the Cardinal had an IPhone 5!

 So there are my "picks."  We should be all set, as long as the Holy Spirit reads my blog!

Ciao!