Local seminarians 'blessed' to serve Pope Francis during Mass at Rome seminary

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PROVIDENCE — Seminarians from the Diocese of Providence said it was an honor to serve alongside Pope Francis during his visit to Rome’s Pontifical North American College on Saturday, May 2, a day in which the pontiff celebrated Mass in the chapel on a day the seminary dedicated to reflecting on the life of Blessed Junipero Serra, an 18th century missionary who labored to protect native peoples against the dangers of colonialism.

Pope Francis will canonize Blessed Junipero Serra on September 23, during his apostolic visit to the U.S. The pope declared in his homily that the missionary was one of the founding fathers of the United States.

“[He was] a saintly example of the Church’s universality and special patron of the Hispanic people of the country,” the pope said of Blessed Junipero, who was beatified by Saint John Paul II nearly 30 years ago on Sept. 25, 1988.

As the pope had expressed his desire that the Mass serve as the seminary’s ordinary Saturday Mass, he did not bring with him the papal master of ceremonies. That honor was bestowed on Diocese of Providence seminarian Nathan Ricci, with fellow local seminarian Billy Burdier proclaiming the first reading in Spanish during the Mass, which itself was offered in Italian.

Another local seminarian, Philip Dufour served as one of the student representatives and was greeted by the pope.

“It was a great blessing to have the Holy Father visit our American seminary before his Apostolic Voyage to the United States,” Nathan Ricci, the third year seminarian who served as master of ceremonies, said in an email interview with Rhode Island Catholic.

“In his own words, the Holy Father said that the Americas have given the Church a handful of saints; and indeed, he noted, quite profoundly, that there is a multitude of sanctity in America. The Holy Father celebrated Mass for us and, in so doing, served as an inspiration for the future priests of the American Church: we must always keep our focus on the Lord Jesus, in whom man finds his ultimate fulfillment,” Ricci said.

Burdier, a first year seminarian, said he was “blessed and honored” to have had the opportunity to serve as lector at the Mass with the Holy Father.

“Words really fail to describe this extraordinary experience, but what I do know is that it is something I’ll remember for a long, long time. When I met the Holy Father prior to Mass, I was able to experience a great peace and powerful joy, which is transmitted through his big smile. It was truly humbling to see our Holy Father prior to Mass and then to see him in the liturgy,” Burdier said.

As a lector, he had the privilege of sitting in the front pew, very close to Pope Francis.

“I could see his face, and his expressions,” he said. “I was able to see his humility, deep faith and above all his prayerful spirit. This was an inspiring gift that I was blessed and honored to have witnessed. In all honesty, I am humbled by his love for God’s people and his Christ like example. I am extremely grateful to God for this great opportunity of being in the presence of the Vicar of Christ.”

First year seminarian Phillip Dufour, who also had the opportunity to greet the pope, said it was for him and the entire PNAC community a blessed day.

“It was a joy and honor to attend the Holy Father’s Mass at the North American College and hear his exhortation to ‘respond with the same generosity and courage to the call of God’ in the spirit of the example of Blessed Junipero Serra,” Dufour said. “I was also graced with the opportunity to greet the Holy Father personally and it was evident to me how joyful our Holy Father is in carrying out his Petrine ministry.”

Deacons Joshua Barrow and Nicholas Fleming, who are also preparing for the priesthood from the diocese at the seminary, were moved by the experience.

“It was a great blessing for us to have our Holy Father visit us,” Deacon Barrow said of the day, which included a morning program of reflections on the life and contributions of soon-to-be-Saint Junipero Serra.

He said he especially appreciated the simplicity of the Mass with Pope Francis.

“It was great because usually there is so much going on with thousands of people. It was almost like a typical daily Mass for us.”

For Deacon Fleming the day is one he will long remember.

“It was a great privilege for us to have the Vicar of Christ in our seminary, praying with and for our community,” he said.

Father David Gaffney, who also represents the Diocese of Providence and serves as spiritual director at PNAC, said it was a great privilege for the Pontifical North American College to welcome its neighbor, Pope Francis, to the seminary.

He said it provided a unique opportunity for the pope to meet so many young American seminarians, deacons, student-priests and priest-faculty prior to his upcoming visit to the United States.

“As he greeted members of our community before and after Mass you could not help but notice his joy to be with us. We, too, were so grateful that the Successor of St. Peter was with us to celebrate Mass and encourage our devotion to Blessed Junipero Serra,” Father Gaffney said.

At the end of the Mass, the seminary community lined the driveway leading from the “formal entryway” where the pope exited the building, waving to him as he left, according to Father Gaffney.

Father said that there were about 400 in attendance for Saturday’s Mass, including the 270 seminarians and priests of the PNAC community, along with guests of the school’s graduate house (Casa Santa Maria) and the Villa Stritch (a residence for American priests working in Rome or at the Vatican).

In his homily, Pope Francis also looked ahead to his upcoming trip to North and South America this fall, and the start of a special Jubilee Year on Dec. 8.

“May a powerful gust of holiness sweep through all the Americas during the coming Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy!” Pope Francis said in his homily.

He asked that life on the American continent become rooted ever more deeply in the Gospel it has received, and that Christ be ever more present in the lives of individuals, families, peoples and nations, for the greater glory of God.

“We pray too that this glory may be manifested in the culture of life, brotherhood, solidarity, peace and justice, with a preferential option for the poor, through the witness of Christians of various confessions and communities, together with believers of other religious traditions, and people of upright conscience and good will,” Pope Francis said.

“With heartfelt prayer, I ask Our Lady of Guadalupe, Friar Junipero and all the American saints to lead me and guide me during my approaching apostolic journeys to South America and North America. I ask all of you to keep this intention in your prayers, and to continue to pray for me.”