GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As the world learns more about the new Pope Leo the Fourteenth, FOX 17 News spoke with three seminarians from the Diocese of Grand Rapids who are currently studying in Rome.
They've had a front seat bearing witness to history, sharing what it's been like to be there for a death of a Pope, Conclave and the introduction of a new faith leader.
The moment white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel, captivating the world...
It was a surprise to Michiganders, Jack McCarthy, Daniel Willison and Dominic Klaes.
Alerts came flooding into Jack McCarthy's phone — he's a Seminarian from Ada. "I was like, no... no way. I gotta get to the Square right now."
Daniel Willison, a Seminarian from East Grand Rapids, was among the many racing through masses of people. "I start taking a video of the white smoke and just like screaming," Willison recalled.
"All of a sudden, the crowd just erupts." He rushed toward Saint Peters Square to get as close to the Balcony as they could where the pope would be introduced.
Jack grabbed a bike but couldn't get through the crowds. "I ended up ditching the bike and running. And I was running with people from different continents," he said.
Right before the Pope was announced, "I just started hearing people whisper, Americano, Americano, Americano, you know, and father Isaiah, the man I was with, we were, we were just like, no way with that. Can't be. That can't be."
They got to the square just in time, adding, "Lo and behold, it's Cardinal Prevost, you know, Leo the 14th. And it was just such an amazing, amazing experience. And everyone was, you know, was screaming and hollering."
Dominic Klaes is a Seminarian from Grand Haven. He also witnessed the moment revered around the world.
"That was a powerful experience," he said. "There was just so much, so much joy that was just like tangible."
Jack McCarthy is a Seminarian from Ada. "I got to kneel to receive his first blessing from the balcony. It was so it was just so amazing. It was really, really, honestly, life changing."
Jack didn't know the Pope's journey to the Vatican came through West Michigan until FOX 17 told him. "That's amazing," he said. "I didn't know about that just now. That's crazy. I mean, that's wow, wow, wow."
These three Seminarians now share pictures of American pride. Dominic described the scene saying, "So everyone around us afterwards was coming up to us to take pictures with us, with the American flag, and a bunch of journalists and interviewers wanted to hear our thoughts on our new American Pope."
Now sharing pride in Michigan, they're faith deepened by the experience. "I pray for Pope Leo. I pray that he can, he can give us a good example as well, that he can lead the church strongly and lead by the grace of god," Dominic added.
Daniel feels the same. "I'm just so thankful for god putting me here at the time that he did. I couldn't have asked for anything better."
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