Pope Francis!

This Sunday, I had the incredible blessing to travel with my school to see Pope Francis in Philadelphia. More than anything, the pilgrimage was a trip in humility, and reminded me that no matter my plans, God's plans may differ and that's okay.

When I signed up for the trip, I imagined a perfect day. You know, front row view of Pope Francis in the Pope-mobile, maybe even a special hug or something, and overall lots and lots of joy.

Well... it didn't quite end up that way.

The past week or so, I had been extremely anxious about the pilgrimage I had signed up to make. I was overweight, could I handle all the walking? Would I be able to control my anxiety around over a million other people? What if I got separated from the group and couldn't get back home? Well... some of those anxieties were warranted. The walking was excessive, and I'm still in pain two days later. Being with that many people did cause me great distress. My friend, Gianna, and I were separated from the group on our way back to the bus, and I realized how scary it is being lost in a city that neither of us knew.

I ended up walking over ten miles over the course of the day, which, for someone so completely out of shape, was a rough, rough experience. We were in line for security for over four hours, packed in with thousands of other pilgrims, which caused my anxiety to spike and I ended up getting out of line to be able to breathe and drink some water.  I told Gianna I'd go alone, because I didn't want her to miss out on the mass, but she came with me, making sure I sat down and was okay. She was so wonderful, and although the day didn't go the way I thought it would, I'm glad I got to share it with her.

Gianna and I were able to get back into line, and after an hour or so, I began to hear cheers. I stuck my head over the fence and got a brief glimpse of the Holy Father in his Pope-mobile zooming by. It was more a cloud of white, but a waving cloud of white, so that was cool. We also made some friends in line.

When Gianna and I finally made it through security, we wear able to hear the end of Papa's homily, which was so cool. Although we couldn't understand it (it was in Spanish) we agreed that we couldn't wait to read the transcript, because we knew it would be beautiful.

We knelt on the cobblestone streets of Philly during the consecration, as did most of those around us. It was incredible to see such beautiful devotion, despite obvious discomfort.

We were there in time for Communion too. I couldn't receive, but seeing those around me receive the Eucharist that had been consecrated by The Holy Father was truly incredible. 

The day didn't go the way I thought it would. And I'm a little sad about that. But I am so grateful for the experience I had. God reminded me that He was in charge, and that blessings come in all shapes and sizes. 

Babies, gingers, and Pope Francis.

The three things listed above are arguably 3 of my favorite things. So, imagine the pure joy I felt when I saw this picture: 

 

I could happily spend the rest of my life looking at pictures of Pope Francis with babies. A ginger baby is just the icing on top

World Day of Fasting and Prayer for Syria

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240"] How do you say 'no' to that face?[/caption]

Today, Pope Francis asked the Catholics of the world to spend the day fasting and praying for peace in Syria.

I was proud to participate, and was glad that my school (on which the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes is on the campus of) was hosting events.

First, they had mass and adoration at the seminary. I decided not to attend mass, but did adore Christ with a chapel full of fellow students, seminarians, priests, and faculty.

After that, we processed up the mountain to the grotto, where, in front of the Eucharist, we prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, begging Jesus to have mercy on us, and the whole world.

Then we went to the grotto altar, where we prayed the Rosary and finished with Mass. It was beautiful to see how many were aware of what is going on in current events and how many care about and love our brothers and sisters in Syria.

Still, there weren't many students there, which was a bit disheartening. But nonetheless, a lovely experience