by Anthony Ramirez ‘16
Rarely has there ever been a Pope so popular that both Catholics and non-Catholics alike go out of their way to see him speak, but that is what happened last weekend in New York City, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. In the history of the Papacy, Pope Francis has been the only Pope to officially speak with the United States Congress. Such an occurrence did not go unnoticed and hundreds of thousands of people flocked to see him, some traveling as far as 13,000 miles.
Students and faculty from Saint Ignatius also made the journey, traveling from Cleveland to Philadelphia to see and listen to the Holy Father speak and lastly to attend mass on Sunday. The pilgrims included faculty members Mr. Jim Brennan ’85 and Mr. Anthony Fior ’02, as well as students Joe Ertle ’17, Jermaine Leonard ’18, John Ortega ’16, Gabe Ohliger ’17, Sean Neville ’16 and Michael John Raddell ’18.
According to Mr. Brennan, the goal of the trip was to be “in union with fellow Catholics and Jesuits” as well as to “see the Holy Father speak.” The community and connectedness that is felt when Catholics from all over the world come together is a powerful thing.
Our pilgrims, along with many other students from other Jesuit Schools, lodged at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School, a Jesuit high school in Philadelphia for the entirety of the visit. Hundreds of crowded students slept on the gym floors of St. Joe’s.
The capacity of St. Joe’s was the main limiting factor for how many Saint Ignatius students could attend. Mr. Fior “reached out to St. Joe’s and originally asked to take 100 students, but many other schools throughout the country also asked, so [he] had to cut down on the number.”
The experience allowed Ignatius to connect with students from Jesuit schools from around the country. “Meeting all the different kids from Jesuits school was surprisingly fulfilling,” said Sean Neville ‘16. “It was cool to see the similarities that you’d expect to only pertain to Ignatius.”
Campus Ministry had the final say on who would be chosen for this privilege and consulted Theology teachers and CAT moderators in question of what students would most benefit from this. It was eventually decided, in the interest of being fair and balanced, that two students from each class should go. The students that were chosen uphold what it means to be an “Ignatius Man” and a Catholic.
Mr. Brennan hopes that with their return, the pilgrim-students will bring back an “enthusiasm for the faith” and strengthen Saint Ignatius High School in the Jesuit community.
