Teens unexpectedly are in Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral

by William J. Dagendesh

COLORADO SPRINGS. At 2 a.m. on April 21, Stacy Paris — hours away from leaving for Italy with 24 teens and 16 other adults to witness the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis scheduled for April 27 — received a phone call from her daughter letting her know that Pope Francis had died. Although the news came as a surprise, it quickly became clear to Paris that the group should follow through on their original travel plans, she said.

“By 6 a.m., I had already talked to a few pilgrims and received messages from parishioners saying, ‘Continue with your journey,’” Paris said during an interview with Father Kyle Ingels for his podcast, “The Summit.”

The group boarded their plane as scheduled and arrived in Rome the following evening. The next morning, they got on a bus and rode two hours to Assisi, where they prayed in front of the tomb of Blessed Carlo despite news that his canonization would be postponed due to the pope’s death. The teens shared a special bond with Blessed Carlo because he was about their age when he died, and thanks to an appeal made by Our Lady of the Pines pastor Father Brad Noonan, parishioners had donated enough money to cover the entire cost of the trip.

“That’s the moment that I think brought us all together,” Paris said. “The teens were just in awe; right at that moment all the stories they had heard about Blessed Carlo came to life. There he was; he looked just like them, was their age, and it was one of the most moving and awe-inspiring moments of my life.”

The group continued with their pilgrimage itinerary, touring the major basilicas in order to obtain the Jubilee Year indulgence. On Thursday, April 24, they once again had a once-in-a-lifetime experience when they joined thousands of others and went to St. Peter’s Basilica to pray in front of Pope Francis’ remains.

“Those teens stood in line for three hours with crowds of people, and there was not one complaint,” Paris said. “It was late, we were hungry and tired, but all of them were kneeling, praying and crying. We didn’t get back to our hotel room until after 2 a.m.”

 Meanwhile, JMJ Travel services, the company that organized the pilgrimage for Our Lady of the Pines, spoke to the Vatican and suggested that Father Kane be allowed to participate in the pope’s funeral Mass on April 26.

“I had a feeling they would do this, but was truly humbled and excited when I received the news. I was asked to do so because a priest usually has the right to concelebrate Masses he is not the primary celebrant at,” Father Kane said.

“JMJ wanted to provide me with this historic opportunity. When I found out from JMJ that I would be able to concelebrate, I was overjoyed. It was an awe-inspiring moment.”

Requirements for concelebration include having a “celebret” (a card verifying the priest is in good standing), or a letter of suitability verifying they are a real priest in good standing with the Church, Father Kane said.

“I brought my letter of suitability from the diocese with me on the trip, as well as an alb, cincture and a red stole. There was a moment I had to show my driver’s license, along with my letter of suitability to the guard at the Vatican so they could make sure I was indeed the one mentioned in the letter,” he said.

According to Father Kane, a bittersweet mood shrouded the Pope’s funeral as scores of well-wishers paid their respects to the Catholic Church’s spiritual leader.

“The mood was somber, but not depressing. It was an opportunity to say goodbye to our universal shepherd. The priests around me were sad, but also grateful to pay their respects,” Father Kane said. 

It took a lot of stamina for the teens to attend the funeral, as no tickets were distributed and the line of people waiting for admittance was miles long, Paris said.

“We left at 5:15 a.m. and were on the second train, but when we got there the crowd was already huge,” Paris said. “We just held on to each other and fought through the crowds and were at the top of St. Peter’s Square. We really couldn’t have been more blessed than that.”

“From day one, Father Brad had said this was going to be a life-changing event, so even though the event changed, it was still life-changing and it fulfilled the reason for going,” Paris said.

In fact, despite the canonization being postponed, at least one of the teens who went on the trip credits Blessed Carlo for helping in her battle against cancer.

“One of our teens suffers from an oculary tumor, and it had been growing the past year.” Father Kane said. “She had been praying for Blessed Carlo’s intercession, and she just had her medical examination and the tumor had shrunk a lot, so much so that it was smaller than when it was first discovered. She’s calling it a miracle.”