CatholicTech’s High School Summer Program & Mass with the Pope

Campus Life Update

We’re halfway through July and how exhilarating life has been here in Castel Gandolfo!

As you may have learned in last week’s newsletter, CatholicTech received an amazing addition  of high school students attending our STEM Summer Program. The bright-eyed bunch landed just in time for a spectacular experience: a live viewing of Holy Mass celebrated by the newly-elected Pope Leo XVI. On Sunday July 13th, CatholicTech staff, students, interns, and high-school attendees awoke early to make their way into the main town square. After passing shop owners selling snacks and townspeople peering out of their windows, the group encountered a security unit; a thorough security clearing preceded the entrance to Piazza della Libertà, the quaint main square in Castel Gandolfo. Crowded with tourists, media members, and local Italians, the square was permeated by a spirit of joy. CatholicTech members passed around prayer cards of Pope Leo to those gathered while awaiting the Holy Father’s emergence and hoisted high orange CatholicTech posters.

Pope Leo XVI arrived a few minutes before Mass, cheerfully greeting the audience stationed in the square. It was striking to see the Holy Father waltz up the very stairs that CatholicTech members frequent on their way into St. Thomas of Villanova Church. His Holiness then greeted the church’s pastor, Bishop Vincenzo of Albano, and the mayor of Castel Gandolfo. After a moment of prayer, the Holy Mass began. The angelic audio of the choir resonated beyond the walls of the church and into the crowd gathered outside. Traditional hymns, trumpets, and the organ accompanied the Sacred Liturgy. An inspiring homily reflecting on the need for compassion was a fitting reflection on the Gospel about the Good Samaritan. Mass ended with the singing of the Salve Regina, which bellowed out of many mouths in the church and in the square. Pope Leo XVI made a point to greet the crowd, acknowledge particular groups of pilgrims, and wave to those watching him after Mass. After this exciting encounter, the Holy Father retreated back into the Papal Palace, where Swiss Guards and members of the Carabinieri police force stood at attention. His Holiness concluded this event by reciting the Angelus prayer in Latin whilst the sun seeped through a stormy sky.

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity called for celebration. CatholicTech members marched back down to campus and gathered for a barbecue in the student lounge to enjoy a meal amid the rainy weather. To finish off the day, some staff members joined the high school students in a karaoke performance. Whether smiles were dawned in awe of the vocal talent or in jest, listeners surely had a fun time.