I touched Pope Francis’ hand

In February, I had the great privilege of a taking a trip to Rome and Assisi with two of my classmates, Father Colin Braud and Father Daniel Green. This was a truly blessed time of vacation and pilgrimage as we visited the holiest sites in those cities.

There were many trip highlights: offering Mass in three of the four major basilicas, visiting the Sistine Chapel and praying at the tombs of St. Francis and St. Clare in Assisi, not to mention the great food and Italian gelato.

There was a special joy in making this first trip to Rome as a priest. I had visited the Holy Land a year earlier as a deacon, and, while there, I experienced a deep longing to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in those holy places.

Being in Rome as a priest, I was able to offer Mass. One of the most meaningful experiences was at the tomb of Pope St. Pius X. My diaconate internship and first priestly assignment were at St. Pius X Parish in New Orleans, so to offer Mass at the tomb of our patron saint while remembering parishioners of our parish was a joyful and humbling experience for me, as a priest.

Without a doubt, the biggest trip highlight was the once-in-a-lifetime experience of shaking hands with our Holy Father, Pope Francis.

It was a case of being in the right place at the right time.

Before one of the Wednesday audiences in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis stopped the “pope-mobile” close to us to enjoy a taste of his favorite drink – mate, an Argentinian tea which had been offered to him by some of his fellow countrymen. After he greeted some of the people near me, I was able to reach just far enough to get his attention and briefly shake his hand.

It was a moment of great excitement, not only because he is the pope, but also because he is a man of obvious love, humilityw and holiness, just like his predecessors Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II.

It was certainly a memory I will never forget.

Father Jonathan Hemelt is parochial vicar of St. Pius X Parish in New Orleans.