I will never forget the evening of March 13, 2013, the day that Francis was elected Pope. I was in Rome living at the Casa Santa Maria, the house for American clergy who are doing graduate studies in Rome.
When the cardinals are in conclave, they vote four times a day until a Pope is elected. Many of us would walk to St. Peter's at the time that the smoke would emerge from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel to see if it was white or black. That evening we all figured that it was unlikely that a new Pope was elected so we went to dinner as usual. Shortly after dinner began, the superior of the house came into the dining room and announced that there was white smoke indicating that a Pope had been elected. I and several priests immediately left the dining room and rushed to the square.
Thankfully, due to the desire of the new Holy Father to first inform Pope Benedict before it was announced to the world, there was a delay in his appearing on the balcony of St. Peter's. This delay meant that I was able to arrive before the announcement was made. I was blessed to see the Cardinals emerge and those immortal words "Habemus Papam" (We have a Pope). He then said "the Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Jorge..." I immediately said "the only likely Cardinal with that name was Bergoglio the Jesuit from Argentina. The rumor was that in the previous conclave that elected Benedict, he was the second place Cardinal." The Cardinal continued, and it became clear that I was correct, Jorge Bergoglio had been elected Pope. He then said that his name was Francis, and, since he was a Jesuit, I assumed that it was in honor of St. Francis Xavier, the great Jesuit missionary, but, it turned out that it was in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. Historically the Jesuits and the Franciscans had a lot of rivalry, so I marveled at the ways of God that a Jesuit would choose St. Francis of Assisi as his model.
The new Pope gave a brief address and then, before giving us his blessing he paused and bowed his head and asked all of us to bless him. Right after that I noticed the crew of Franciscan Friars of the Eternal Word, the community founded by Mother Angelica, and I went over to speak with them. They decided to interview me, and, to this day, that interview can be seen on YouTube. I was still a deacon at the time, awaiting my priestly ordination which took place on June 29, 2013. Even though still a deacon, I was able to vest and to distribute communion on March 19, the Solemnity of St. Joseph when he officially began his ministry as Pope.
There is a tradition in Rome that newly ordained Priests can have the Pope use their chalice to celebrate Mass and then have it returned to them with a certificate indicating the day on which it was used. I sent a letter to Pope Francis via a Bishop I knew who was staying at the Domus Santa Marta, where Pope Francis chose to live, and, a few days later I received a phone call from Msgr. Alfred Xuareb, the Holy Father's personal secretary telling me that the Holy Father had received my letter and had agreed to use my chalice for Mass. I made arrangements to bring it to the Domus, and shortly thereafter, Msgr. Xuareb called me again to let me know that Pope Francis had indeed celebrated Mass with my chalice and I could come and pick it up. Now, every Easter Vigil when I am baptising adults or receiving them into the Church, I use it for them to receive the precious blood. I do the same for the first communions in my parish. It is a wonderful way of reminding everyone that we are part of the Universal Church, under the guidance of the Pope.
I was finishing my studies at the end of my first year of ordination, and so, on June 29th, 2014, I was blessed to concelebrate the Mass for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul in St. Peter's Basilica, at which Pope Francis presided. I have lived my entire priesthood under Francis as Pope, and, last November, I was blessed to greet him personally at a private audience in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace.
From the very first moment that Francis emerged on the balcony of St. Peter's Square, I was very impressed. I have learned so much from him about how to be a priest and how to care for those who are entrusted to me. Pope Francis was truly a man of prayer who was laser focused on Jesus Christ. His Angelus addresses and homilies during Advent for me were the key to understanding his vision. In them you see his profound conviction that Christ is the Lord of History and that, in Him everything changes. This also is why he was such an apostle of mercy. I am grateful for all the ways that I was able to connect with him, and especially for all that I have learned from him about how to be a shepherd who has the odor of his flock.
