The conclave and the USS George Washington
Why we should pray for the cardinals to have the grace of sailors
On April 26th, I was on my knees in St. Peter’s Square praying for Pope Francis. I had the immense privilege of being part of the US delegation and of representing my university.
It was truly one of the most beautiful things I have ever participated in. The weather was perfect, the schola was magnificent, the sung liturgy — in Latin, Greek and other languages — felt like the warm embrace of family.
The solemness of strong men silently carrying the coffin containing our pope out of the Basilica onto the steps in front of us all. Much has been written and reported about that day, but let me tell you that it was magnificent.
We were seated in the northwest corner of the square next to leaders from Italy, Canada, Africa and other places as well. To my right were members of an interreligious dialogue, so there were rabbis, muslims, sikhs and many others. What I realized was that the entire world had basically been compressed into the participation in this celebration, on this holy ground.
And we had a job to do.
Our job, most especially the Catholics, was to worship God and to pray for our brother, Jorge. And we definitely were. I don’t know how you measure such things, but you could definitely feel it: there was a serenity, or feeling of fulfilment. It was the feeling that comes when you are doing something that you are good at, something that might be hard, and the work just flows out of you without conscious effort. You’re in the zone.
Many of us were in the zone. I was surrounded by brothers and sisters doing their jobs beautifully, and it was a cross section of the world. It took me a while to realize that I recognized this experience.
It reminded me of my time aboard an aircraft carrier.