Divine Gift: Denver Students Experience God's Wonders through Pope Francis' Last Papal Blessing
- Guest Contributor
- 20 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Cal Lanier
Student at St. John Paul the Great High School, Denver
A group of high school students from St. Mary Parish in Littleton, myself included, embarked on a life-changing, transformative experience this past Holy Week, one that culminated in an interaction that only God could have planned.
Uniting as pilgrims on a journey, a group of about thirty of us high schoolers boarded a plane to Rome the morning of April 14. We all knew one thing: this trip would be beautiful. But we didn’t realize just how life changing it would be. For some who didn’t want to enter into this reality, it may not have been. But for the ones who did, the Lord worked wonders.
It was a long week of walking (and more walking), very little sleep and plenty of sacrifice. Throughout the week, we had done things many people do while on similar pilgrimages. We spent Easter Vigil at the holy basilica of the Pope, St. John Lateran, and prayed the Stations of the Cross after reverently ascending the Santa Scali, the very steps which our Lord ascended before he was put to death. We also spent time on Good Friday in Santa Croce, venerating a piece of the True Cross on which our Lord was crucified. Think about that for a moment. This was a piece of the Cross on which he died 2,000 years ago, so that he could save us all — even a group of teenagers who traveled here some 2,000 years later.
These experiences were so incredibly formative, and there was no way any of us could ever return home the same. “We have been filled with these graces, let us hold on to them and let them continue to change our lives, even upon return.” These are the words I remember most, words of encouragement but also commitment.
The last part of our journey was spent at St. Peter's Square on Easter morning. We honestly didn't expect to see the pope because of his ill health, but then he appeared on the balcony overlooking the square. How incredible to receive a papal blessing, something we would later understand would be the last Solemn Blessing Pope Francis would ever give. While we were quite a distance from the pope, the mere fact that he came out onto the balcony to bless all of us gathered there that day was quite moving and spectacular. We truly felt it in our souls.
When we learned the next day that the Holy Father had passed away just hours after we saw him, it became clear that our Lord wanted each and every one of us to be there, at that moment, on that day. When we were asking ourselves later, 'why us?', an understanding came over us: sometimes God wants us to be in a certain place or live through a certain moment because he wants us to experience it and remember it. I know it is something I will never forget, and I'm sure my fellow pilgrims felt the same way.
As we all traveled back home to Colorado, we knew we had been changed by our experiences, by our incredible journey. It is simply impossible to continue living the same way we were because we are not the same. One fellow student, reflecting on their personal experience said, “As we journeyed together throughout the week, there were certainly times when the Lord had made his presence known, yet standing in that Square that morning, there was something more. It was no longer just something we saw. It was a divine gift. One that will stay with us forever.”
The reality is that God puts us in places because he intends to change us in that one moment. Now, as my friends and I return to our daily lives, we will share our stories with our families, our parish and so many more for years to come. Our story is one of proof of Divine Providence in our lives and one that will not be forgotten easily.
