Pope visits the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary

Submitted by James Humble, Library Director of Ryan Memorial Library, St. Charles Seminary

The rumors began floating around St. Charles Borromeo Seminary several years ago—the Pope had promised to attend the upcoming World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia! SCBS still cherished warm memories of hosting Pope John Paul II during his Philadelphia visit in 1979. Everyone was hoping that we could count another pontiff among our honored guests. Yes, we looked forward to the moment when Benedict XVI would set foot inside our halls.

Of course, by the time the WMOF did take place, a changing of the guard had occurred: Benedict had resigned and was succeeded by Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the first pontiff to take the name Francis. With his worldwide visibility, we anticipated a great amount of preparation. Nevertheless, we were overjoyed when it was confirmed he would indeed be staying at the Seminary during his September visit.

And so we got ourselves ready. Floors were scrubbed, carpets cleaned, doorknobs polished, ceiling cracks spackled, walls painted. Chrysanthemums timed to bloom upon the Pope’s arrival were planted along the building. Men and women in dark suits who, it was whispered, were from the Secret Service, were spotted patrolled the hallways. A contingent of students was temporarily displaced as an entire dormitory floor was refurbished to accommodate the Pope’s entourage. Mattresses, linens, furniture, plumbing, lighting, Wi-Fi—all amenities were checked, upgraded, and checked again. Special menus for the Pope’s meals were drawn up. Security measures—reduced access to certain areas of the building, the installation of extra fences around the campus—went into effect a week before the big event. By the time Francis arrived, portions of many of the roads leading to the campus had been shut down as well.

Although the Pope’s itinerary kept him going from public appearance to public appearance from the moment his plane touched down, SCBS was lucky to have him on campus several times during his weekend stay. Those of us who work at the Seminary were uncertain whether we would be allowed on campus at all, but just when it seemed as though we would have to stay home, the news came down—we would be able to attend the Pope’s speech on Sunday morning!

To say it wasn’t easy to get inside the venue would be an understatement—we had to pass through several security checkpoints, in which our cars and our persons were subject to search—but we did eventually make it to the chapel in which he would speak. And any perceived inconvenience was instantly forgotten with the cheers and applause that greeted his entrance. We were indeed privileged to be members of an audience of only a few hundred people.

As his speech was drawing to a close, the frenzied whirring of helicopters sounded through the open windows. We knew that, when the Pope exited the chapel, he would immediately be flown away to the next stop on his itinerary. But for us, the excitement of sharing in this intimate address would not wear away from our workplace for a long time.

*Photo from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary