Did you hear about the two young men from Flint who served Holy Mass for His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, upon Christmas Day? No? We’ll here are the photos and the words that tell the incredible story.
They feature Diocese of Lansing seminarians Glen Hart and Joseph Wilberding. Both men are parishioners of Saint Matthew in Flint. Both are students for the priesthood at Saint John Vianney Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Both were studying abroad in Rome when they received the invitation to serve Holy Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica with the Holy Father. Both now tell their story, starting with Joseph Wilberding. Joseph says:
One of the greatest blessings during my semester in Rome was the ability to serve for the Pope on Christmas Day. We had made the request through a priest we knew, who knew one of the Papal MCs, a friend of a friend kind of thing. My brother seminarians and I had high hopes however, as time went by, we reached one week away from Christmas without any word. One day after voicing our doubt, we received confirmation that we would serve for Pope Leo’s Christmas Day Mass.
I was overjoyed, yet the full excitement of the situation would not hit me until December 25th. I was calm at the rehearsals for the Mass and was delighted to be a candle bearer next to the processional crucifix. Right before the Mass we were given the opportunity to meet the pope. It was a beautiful moment to wish my spiritual father, the holy father, a Merry Christmas in person. During the opening procession I was really hit by the magnitude of where we were and what we were doing and was very nervous. That moment of nervousness passed however, and my nerves calmed and I began doing what I have done since I was eight years old; serve at Holy Mass, just this time the main celebrant was the pope.
Meanwhile, Glen Hart tells his story thus:
Finding out that my brother seminarians and I were serving for Pope Leo on Christmas day was incredible. We had been waiting for the official word, but once we reached a week before Christmas, our hopes were fading. I was standing just outside Santa Maria Sopra Minerva with a fellow seminarian when we finally received the go-ahead. We rejoiced together, unable to contain our excitement as we walked back to the college we've called home for the semester.
We arrived at St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve for rehearsals, and I was chosen to be thurifer. What a gift! It was deeply edifying to see the care that the MCs had for upholding the beauty and sanctity of the Mass; a reverence that was then echoed in the actions of Pope Leo himself. He was incredibly warm and loving to us servers, allowing us all to kiss his ring and wishing us each a Merry Christmas personally.
Yet when the Mass started, his sole focus was on serving God. Seeing the dedication he had for his ministry took the weight off my own shoulders and allowed me to serve on what is essentially the world stage without fear. Working so closely with Pope Leo as thurifer gave me a privileged glimpse into his love for Christ and His Church — in turn increasing my own.
* Do you feel that God may also be calling you to discern a vocation to the sacred priesthood? Click here to find out more: https://lansingpriest.org/meet-the-seminarians/
