Mount Vernon Teacher Has Ties To Argentina

When Michele Gondi heard the news about Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio being elected to the papacy, she didn't just smile politely and nod yes.

No, she expressed her pure joy at the first Argentinean, the first South American and the first Jesuit being elected pope by jumping up and down in the hallway at St. Matthew School.

She's the religion, art, music and Spanish teacher at the Mount Vernon school, with deep ties to the South American country of Argentina.

She was born in New York City to Argentine parents, and when she was seven years old the family moved back to Buenos Aires. When her sister met and married a man from Mount Vernon, Ind., Michele came to southern Indiana for a visit. "My husband really liked it," she said of southern Indiana, and "Argentina was going through a tough time. The minister of economy froze all bank accounts, and my husband was not getting his salary."

She's an American citizen, and the couple made the decision to move to Mount Vernon with their two children, ages 10 and five. "We began to sell our belongings to get food," she said, recalling they left the country with a "crate" containing everything they owned.

She earned her college degrees -- again -- because her degrees from Argentina were not recognized, and in 2002 she joined the faculty at St. Matthew School.

On March 13, she was teaching art. The Internet was down in her classroom, so the fifth grade teacher popped in to let Michele know what was happening.

She had been telling her students about the conclave, mentioning that Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana was considered a favorite. "I told them that he wasn't European, and that all the popes have been European and Italian.

"Then the teacher said, 'Miss Michele, we have white smoke.'" Soon, she heard the news that stunned the world: the new pope was from Argentina!

"I couldn't believe it."

The students at St. Matthew gathered to watch television as the newly-elected pope called on the world to pray for him. "I choked up," she says of the memory. "It was wonderful."

Soon she was getting phone calls from Argentina as well as e-mails. And people were sharing their stories about the Argentinean. They were talking about his relationship with Argentina's president, and how he said Mass for workers in the street on the feast day of St. Cajetan.

They talked of the day he was supposed to say Mass in downtown Buenos Aires, and everyone was waiting for a limo to appear. Suddenly a city bus crossed the line of traffic and parked in front of the church. "He rode the bus to say Mass. He wanted to be dropped off at the bus stop, but the bus driver said, 'I couldn't just drop him off there.'"

Michele said her father has followed the cardinal's career for many years, and always told his daughter that Jesuits were "school-oriented, education-oriented. They fight for Jesus; they are a peaceful army."

She believes that two things show how humble the new pope is. One, him asking for a blessing from the world minutes after being elected, and choosing the name of Francis.

All in all, she says of her family and of people in Argentina "We are just very excited. We are hoping this will bring a little bit of peace to Argentina and to the world."

Will she follow this pope very closely? Yes! Yes!

"Hopefully we will have a new era in the Catholic Church. I'm very excited that it's a Jesuit. I know how much of a difference they made in the history of South America.

"I just love it."