Seminarian Recounts A Very Special Trip To Rome

This past Christmas, I had the opportunity to travel to Rome with seven other seminarians from Bruté College Seminary for the days leading up to, and after, Christmas.  This was my first trip to Rome, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.

A month prior to our trip, our Seminary Rector, Father Bob Robeson, emailed the Congregation for Divine Worship for the Diocese of Rome and requested tickets to attend Midnight Mass at Christmas with Pope Francis.  The office not only granted his request, but also asked that the seminarians serve the Mass and attend rehearsal on Christmas Eve morning. 

We were pretty excited at the news, however were didn’t think that we were actually going to get to serve the Mass – just wear our vestments and sit in choir (which would have been a blessing in itself!).  Unfortunately, before we left for Rome, Father Bob received a call about a family emergency and was not able to make the trip with us.

We arrived in Rome late Saturday night (Dec. 20), and saved all of our sightseeing until Sunday.  When we went out early Sunday morning to see St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time, I was completely blown away.  I had seen thousands of pictures of the Basilica before, but nothing could have prepared me for how grand and massive it was. 

That day, we met up with a few of our former classmates who attended the Pontifical North American College for major seminary, and traveled around Rome the next couple of days taking in all of the major churches and Basilicas that were scattered throughout. 

The morning of Christmas Eve arrived, and we all showed up at St. Peter’s not really knowing what to expect.  We met with our liturgical emcee, and were told that we would be meeting the Holy Father before and serving for the Vigil Mass at 9 p.m. Rome time. 

Since I was the tallest out of our group, I was chosen to be the crucifer or cross bearer. 

We practiced everything were we supposed to do during the Mass for about an hour, then we all gathered in a circle around Monsignor Guido Marini, who was the principal emcee, and listened to a couple of last-minute reminders.  One of the things he said really struck me.

Although he didn’t speak English, our emcee was translating everything that he said.  He told us to remember that while it is important that we remember to carry out our roles in the Mass, it is more important for us not to forget that what we were doing was a form of prayer. 

This really struck me because a lot of time I can get caught up in the small details of the things that I am instructed to do. This often leads me to lose sight of the overall goal. 

So in a way, Monsignor Marini’s words brought me back to what it was all about, and that was celebrating the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

We returned to St. Peter's that night, went through the entrance and on to the place where we were instructed to go.  As we lined up and waited for Pope Francis to come out and meet us, the congregation had started praying the rosary together before the Mass. 

I was praying my rosary to calm my nerves. If you have ever planned a big event before, you are running around – usually right before the event – making sure everything is in order and everyone is where they are supposed to be.  I looked over and saw Monsignor Marini praying the rosary with us, not having a care in the world. 

After meeting Pope Francis, I went to the sacristy with another seminarian to get ready to wash his hands.  When Pope Francis came over and started washing his hands, he looked very calm and relaxed, cracking jokes with Monsignor Marini.

Here was a man who was about to go out before millions of people and celebrate one of the first Masses of Christmas – and he was laughing and carrying on like any other celebration. 

It was at that moment that everything Pope Francis preaches about and writes about came alive. 

This was the joy of the gospel, to rejoice in the moments even clouded with fear and anxiety.  We then started the procession, and the Mass was a very prayerful and joyful celebration.  The whole experience was definitely something that I will never forget.

Hassler is a member of St. Philip Parish in Posey County. He attends Bishop Simon Bruté College Seminary in Indianapolis. We thank him for sharing this wonderful, intimate story of a lifetime memory.