….Holy Innocent’s nine-person senior class, four teachers, religious leaders, and family were in Rome on Feb. 11 when they got an unexpected audience with Pope Leo, who gave them his blessing — and prayers — following the vandalism of their school, which included a shattered life-size Virgin Mary statue that had been guarding the campus since its opening in 1958, and a ruptured bronze tabernacle that had been thrown to the ground….
A benefactor who wanted to remain anonymous got the school in touch with Msgr. Anthony Figueiredo, a priest who worked in Rome but is now based in Assisi, Italy, and travels the world with the relics of newly canonized St. Carlo Acutis.
Figueiredo was able to arrange for the group to receive an audience with Leo and to have their school be named during the ceremony.
The only issue: the tickets had to be picked up on the evening the group’s flight landed in Rome. That seemed easy enough until several things began impeding their progress, like an issue with their bus that caused them to leave hours after they planned. When they arrived to pick up the tickets, Kiernan Fiore, the director of academics at Holy Innocents who was helping to chaperone the trip, sprinted to the office.
They just made it.
The next day, still bleary-eyed and jet-lagged from the flight, there they were inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, still unsure what to expect.
Carlos Martinez, 17, was one of Holy Innocents’ seniors. Martinez’s family received the first surprise while Pope Leo was entering the hall.
“He was walking down the middle aisle, and my mom wanted to get my little baby brother, who came with us, to go get blessed by Pope Leo,” Martinez said. “I tried to go, but there were people in front of us, so we couldn’t get all the way to the front. So I was able to ask the guy in front of us to carry my brother out.”
It worked.
Once Pope Leo’s audience remarks were over, the group figured they’d stand way in the back and would get a photo with the pope that way.
Instead, they were invited onto the steps and Pope Leo greeted each person individually, shaking hands and offering prayers for the desecration of their school.
“I was actually the first one he came up to when we were going to take a picture, and he shook my hand, and I just, I was like, this is so crazy. How am I meeting the pope?” Sophia Gutierrez, 17, another of Holy Innocent’s seniors, said. “Just being able to tell him that this happened, and him saying that you’re going to be in my prayers, it was really moving.”
“I think when you are in the presence of the Holy Father, you can really feel the depth of his prayer life, and the way that comes out in his generosity to other people, his warmth, the way he seeks to be truly a pastor,” Kiernan Fiore said. “But for me, personally, the thing that I really remember him commenting to me was just about the tabernacle at our school. It’s so meaningful for us to know that he has heard that, and can personally pray for us.”
“Just being able to meet him, it really just made it feel so real,” Gutierrez said. “Like he actually is a pope, it’s not just like who you see on TV. It’s not like on the news. He’s actually somebody who cares for our faith and who really wants to lead his flock.”
“It is so tempting when something like this happens to say why me?” Fiore said. “We all have suffering in our lives, and I think it’s when we’re open to Our Lord bringing us consolation, he always does.
“I don’t really believe in coincidences. I think we can see the Holy Spirit everywhere. But there where you can feel singled out for suffering, when you look to Our Lord, you’ll find you singled out for grace as well.”
Maybe what was shared on Holy Innocents’ social media channels said it best.
“Standing before the Holy Father, receiving his blessing, was not just a photo opportunity — it was a moment of healing for our students and our school community,” the post said….
From Angelus News
I don’t understand the adulation some Catholics heap upon the pope. He’s the pope, but so what? What has this pope specifically done that merits adulation? Respect the office and the officeholder, but some Catholics treat him like a celebrity. When I was in high school I attended Pope John Paul II’s event at the Universal Amphitheater. I wasn’t impressed then, and I was in disbelief at how many people screamed and cheered for the man just because he was pope. John Paul II went on to be a great leader and one of the very good popes in history, but still that doesn’t merit treating the man like a celebrity. What has Pope Leo done? Nothing really.
Just a celebrity, i think that you might be able to understand how Judas felt about Jesus. Few visit that dark zone of the heart where light seems a grey mist and hope seems a word used by those who can’t face the reality that there is no hope. This was the soul condition of the pagan world, Greek and Roman. The contrast that Jesus brought for those whose hearts eere ready was so electrifying that it was called the ‘Good News’ , euvangelion Call upon Him and He might answer you.
The Pope is not a secular, worldly “entertainer” or “celebrity.” Where is your common sense? The Pope is holy– the global leader of 1.406 billion Catholics. Those kids deserved this beautiful and healing meeting with the Pope after the terrible, Satanic destruction of their school– including the desecration to the holy Tabernacle and beautiful statue of Our Blessed Mother. The Holy Father deserves our respect. I was very upset with Pope St. John Paul II, and then-Cardinal Ratzinger, for refusing to meet with the group of poor victims of clerical sex abuse from California. Yet, I still give them both my respect. But to me– neither are truly “great,” in my heart– because of that cruel incident.
Loved reading the original, deeply inspiring news story, in “Angeles News”– it moved me to tears! These young Catholic students seem like well-educated, mature, devout young Catholics, sincerely practicing their holy Faith– a great gift, and a hope for our Church’s future. Hope their school will soon be all cleaned up and good as new– and may holy angels guard it, never again to be touched by the Devil and his minions from Hell.
Very nice! I have to say though, I can’t wait until that “broccoli” hairstyle trend disappears among young adult boys and young men.