As cardinals from across the globe prepared to enter the conclave May 7 to discern and elect the next Holy Father, parishes of the Diocese of Trenton anticipated the historic event with prayerful intercession.
Knowing that the cardinal electors would be entering seclusion following an opening Mass in Rome at 10 a.m. local time – 4 a.m. Eastern Time – the faithful gathered to pray specifically for the conclave and the intercession of the Holy Spirit May 6 and May 7.
Quiet Anticipation
Led by Father James Smith, pastor, and Deacon John Scanlon, an evening Memorial Mass was offered for Pope Francis May 6 in St. Isaac Jogues Parish, Marlton, followed by a Holy Hour to pray for the success of the conclave.
Led by Father James Smith, pastor, and Deacon John Scanlon, an evening Memorial Mass was offered for Pope Francis May 6 in St. Isaac Jogues Parish, Marlton. Courtesy photo
In Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Moorestown, pastor Father James Grogan hosted a quiet Eucharistic Adoration the evening of May 6.
“I let them know our prayer time would be simple – just the chance for those who wanted to pray to do so before Jesus,” Father Grogan reflected. “Some remained in the back of church, while others [in turn] came to kneel at the foot of the altar.”
“I often pray through music,” he continued, noting that in the moments of soft piano music and quiet, he thought about how many Ave Maria settings he recalled by heart. “More importantly, they became my heartfelt ‘Hail Marys’ asking for the intercession for the cardinals. What did ‘In Paradisum’ mean to me? I prayed that song thinking of Pope Francis … could I ask the intercession of Pope Francis from the Communion of Saints as I prayed my way through ‘Panis Angelicus?’”
Mass was also offered the evening of May 6 in St. Paul Parish, Princeton, specifically for the conclave.
“Today, the Church stands in a sacred pause. The Chair of Peter is empty, but not abandoned,” said Father Christopher Dayton, St. Paul pastor. “The world watches – not with political curiosity, but with spiritual longing. And we, the Church, stand not with anxiety, but with hope, rooted in prayer – because we know this is not our work alone. This is God’s work.”
Every pope, he pointed out, is firstly a bishop – the bishop of Rome.
“Every bishop is called to be an icon of Christ the Shepherd,” he said. “The one who will wear the white cassock must be a man of integrity, patience and prayer – someone whose authority is exercised through love, not command; someone who can weep with the suffering, walk with the confused and listen even to those who cannot yet speak. May our prayer be this – that those gathered in the Sistine Chapel may clearly see the man who bears these marks, even if the world does not see him yet.”
St. Denis Parish, Manasquan, and St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Hightstown, offered conclave prayers and morning Mass May 7.
“They are seeking not just a leader, but one who will point us all to Christ, the true sustenance of our souls and the life of the world,” said Father Oscar Sumanga, St. Anthony pastor, in his homily. “The Church is a wondrous mystery, a divine institution … governed by human beings with all our limitations and frailties … but this human dimension … keeps us rooted in the soil of this world, empathetic to the joys and struggles of its inhabitants.”
Teachable Moments
Schools, too, sought ways to pray for and understand the conclave as it approached.
In St. Mary of the Lakes School, Medford, pastor Father Daniel Swift offered a presentation for students to explain what the conclave is and how it works.
In St. Mary of the Lakes School, Medford, pastor Father Daniel Swift offered a presentation for students to explain what the conclave is and how it works. Courtesy photo
St. Paul School offered its school community the opportunity via Flocknote to “vote” from among 14 possible cardinal candidates, hoping to tally the results before the new pope is chosen by the cardinal electors.
For its final all-school Mass of the academic year, the community of St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel, took the opportunity to unite in prayer for Pope Francis and the discernment of the cardinals in the conclave. Students also had the opportunity May 2 to visit the Diocesan Shrine for Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration at St. Mary Parish, Middletown, to pray for the same intentions.
In St. Gregory the Great Academy, Hamilton Square, the fifth and sixth grades learned the process of electing a new pope by participating in a virtual tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, St. Peter’s Square and Vatican City. Fifth graders examined a bulletin board featuring the College of Cardinals, showcasing the influential leaders’ diversity. While the students unanimously agreed that the Holy Spirit will oversee the selection of the next pope, many shared their own predictions based on the information they gathered.
Younger students in St. Mary School, Middletown, were given the opportunity to answer the question, “What kind of person do you think would make a good pope?” Their illustrated answers displayed on a bulletin board included “kind,” “helpful,” “prayerful,” “love God” and “think of others.”
Readiness to Serve
During Adoration, Father Grogan felt a peaceful presence of “Emmanuel – God with us,” and it occurred to him that he had never heard of Jorge Bergoglio before he became Pope Francis in 2013.
“I recalled how often in his writings he both encouraged and admonished priests. Homilies should be short, and uplifting,” Father Grogan recalled. “I laughed when I read in his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, that there should be ‘no sourpusses’ in our ministry!”
“I then realized the simple facts as I prayed for the cardinal-electors: I did not have any idea who would be chosen, and I would welcome the surprise,” he continued. “I did not know Francis before he appeared at the Vatican balcony, and I would not really know the next successor to St. Peter. And I was more than OK with that; I was excited for the next step of our Church history, and the next set of challenges from my new pope to me as a priest. Emmanuel, ‘God with us,’ is still the cause of hope and joy.”
Father Dayton pointed to the Gospel reading, in which Jesus addressed Peter as the man he will appoint to lead his Church.
“Jesus doesn’t ask Peter, ‘Are you ready to lead?’ or ‘Can you manage the Church?’” he said. “He asks a much deeper question: ‘Do you love me?’ Three times – not because Jesus doubts Peter’s heart, but because Peter must come face-to-face with his weakness – his earlier denials.
“The next pope will be a man who has wrestled with his own limits,” Father Dayton continued. “He will not be perfect – nor was Peter. But if he can answer, from the depths of his soul, ‘Lord, you know that I love you,’ then he is ready to take up the keys.”
Father Sumanga used his homily to speak of both the divinity and the humanity of the Church, and how both, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, contribute to her mission of leading the world to salvation.
Father Oscar Sumanga, St. Anthony oh Hightstown pastor, delivers a homily during Mass for the conclave May 7.
“To the cardinal electors, we offer them our fervent prayers,” Father Sumanga said. “May the Holy Spirit descend upon them with his sevenfold gifts … whoever the Holy Spirit inspires the cardinals to choose … we will welcome him with love, joy and obedience. We will pledge him our prayers, our support and our collaboration.”
“Let us approach this time not with anxiety, but with love and hope,” he continued. “The Spirit of God is hovering over his Church, ready to renew the face of the earth through her. May our hearts be open to his prompting, our minds to his wisdom and our wills to his divine plan.”
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