By Father Matthew Schilmoeller
I had the privilege of first meeting His Holiness Pope Francis+ in January of 2020, on the occasion ad limina apostolorum of the bishops of the United States. This was particularly during the time when Archbishop Lucas had come to Rome on behalf of the Diocese of Lincoln while holding the post as apostolic administrator. For the audience held for the bishops of our region in the United States, the archbishop was so kind as to invite with him the three Lincoln seminarians being formed in Rome at the time, along with two seminarians of his archdiocese.
This first occasion on which I was blessed to meet the Holy Father was an encounter with his bright humor. Upon receiving his cheerful and genuine greeting, he turned to Archbishop Lucas and remarked, “Lui è qui per la sua prima comunione, no?” (“He’s here for his First Communion, no?”). I knew enough Italian to understand the phrase and we all broke into laughter. He was happy to discover that there were young, childlike vocations sprouting from the Midwest. I keep a photo of this engagement on my desk.
I am forever grateful to have been formed for the priesthood in Rome at the North American College, where a strong bond of admiration is fostered by the seminarians for the Holy Father due to our great proximity to the Apostolic Palace. The formal entrance to the College bears the inscription “Qui huc appulerunt iuvenes e longinquis americae oris vaticanum respicientes collem suam roborant fidem suumque in romanum pontificem amorem,” which translates to: “The young men who have come here from the distant shores of America, looking upon the Vatican Hill, strengthen their faith and love for the Roman Pontiff.” Such was one of the clear objectives for establishing a pontifical college for the United States in Rome, and the seminary continues to maintain this objective today.
There were three other occasions on which I enjoyed the proximity to the late Roman Pontiff. I was blessed to serve a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in November 2021, and I served as a deacon for the Chrism Mass of 2023, over which he presided. There was one other occasion on which the whole North American College enjoyed an audience with Pope Francis in January of 2023. Though I never enjoyed an interaction quite like the first, I would be happy to share with him that not only have I received my First Holy Communion, but now Holy Orders to the sacred priesthood of Jesus Christ.
When I was considering application for the seminary, Francis’+ apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium was particularly influential in encouraging my perspective on the call to the priesthood as a vocation to constant discipleship to Jesus Christ, filled with zeal for evangelization. It is in Evangelii Gaudium that we read the inspiring words:
“The primary reason for evangelizing is the love of Jesus which we have received, the experience of salvation which urges us to ever greater love of him. What kind of love would not feel the need to speak of the beloved, to point him out, to make him known? … The best incentive for sharing the Gospel comes from contemplating it with love, lingering over its pages and reading it with the heart. If we approach it in this way, its beauty will amaze and constantly excite us. But if this is to come about, we need to recover a contemplative spirit which can help us to realize ever anew that we have been entrusted with a treasure which makes us more human and helps us to lead a new life. There is nothing more precious which we can give to others.” – Evangelii Gaudium, 264.
I join my prayers with all the faithful around the world for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei, quia pius es. (Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine upon him, for You are merciful.).
