Two Sacred Heart-Griffin High School students and one SHG campus minister missed out on the school’s homecoming weekend on September 25-27, 2015. Instead of dancing the weekend away, they traveled to Philadelphia to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: seeing Pope Francis during his tour of America.
SHG campus minister Phil Seck was given the opportunity to accompany two students to see the Papal tour in early 2015. “I was just overwhelmed because there are so many people in this building that would have loved to have the same opportunity I had. I was tickled that [Sister Katherine O’C
onner] tapped me on the shoulder.”
The school had students apply to go to Philadelphia, and only two students could be chosen. These two students were sophomore Isabella Farris and junior Cassidy Krager. The girls were very excited to take the trip, even if it meant missing homecoming. “I wasn’t upset about missing hmecoming because I’ve already been there two years,” Krager explained. “It’s not every day you get to see the Pope.”
The SHG trio left Springfield on Friday to travel to St. Louis, then to Chicago and finally to Philadelphia. On Saturday, the three visited the Polish National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, where they saw beautiful stained-glass windows and had lunch. After their visit, they went to downtown Philadelphia and saw the Holy Father as he drove around the city. “We only got to see him for about five seconds, but it was amazing,” said sophomore Isabella Farris.
That Sunday the students and campus minister watched via Jumbotron the Pope celebrate Mass. Because the lines were so long, they could not get into the Mass, but they still enjoyed watching it from the streets of Philadelphia.
The effect of seeing the Pope still stays with these people. “The noise of joy that came from the crowd: I’ve been to stadiums. I’ve been to concerts. There’s no noise like that that I’ve ever heard,” Seck explained about seeing the Pope. “I was so excited I couldn’t scream. There’s the Holy Father and he’s just waving at me.”
The students’ and minister’s memories will stay with them forever because this experience is one that they will never forget.
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