When seminarian Dominic Wolters was in St. Peter’s Square during the election of the new pope, he thought it was a mistake when white smoke came out of the chimney above the Sistine Chapel.
“I wasn’t totally convinced,” said Wolters, who was assigned to study in Rome by Archbishop Bernard Hebda and is finishing his first year of theology at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. “Meanwhile, there’s thousands of people in the square screaming ‘white smoke.’ Then the bells start tolling. … About 15 to 20 minutes after the white smoke goes up, (I get) a message from my mother back home in St. Paul saying there’s white smoke.”
Wolters explained that the Pontifical North American College was known as the Red Room because the college was a gathering place for English-speaking cardinals as they gathered in Rome. Some cardinals were there, as only cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to vote in the conclave.
“We were very fortunate to have about seven or eight American cardinals or other English-speaking cardinals from North America join us in the residence,” Wolters told Patrick Conley, host of the “Practicing Catholic” show, for an episode set to air at 9 p.m. May 16 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM. “But it’s kind of funny because you’re just trying to take the elevator, we still have class, so I’m scrambling trying to make it to school on time, I’m spilling coffee down the front of my shirt, and I open up the elevator and there’s a prince of the Church.”
Meanwhile, Father Colin Jones said that while he wasn’t expecting to see white smoke, he had planned to visit St. Peter’s Square with some friends before they got dinner downtown. When they arrived in the square, the crowd started cheering.
“I had the grace to meet him (Pope Leo XIV, then-Cardinal Robert Prevost) when he visited the Irish College last semester,” said Father Jones, a doctoral student at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, a university run by the Jesuits. “He was our guest on a community night. He said Mass for us and told us a little bit about his life as a prefect for the Dicastery of Bishops and I was super impressed by his humility and his kindness.”
Wolters met then-Cardinal Prevost last November when he celebrated their Thanksgiving Mass.
“We were all just shocked and just so excited, first and foremost that the Church had a shepherd again, but also that it was someone that we’ve met,” Wolters said. “A man who is so obviously a man of prayer, a man of deep humility. We’re just incredibly excited.”
To hear more from Father Jones and Wolters about their experiences in Rome during the papal election, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. May 17 and 2 p.m. May 18.
Also on the program, transitional Deacons Randy Skeate and Steve Boatwright reflect on how God led them to the priesthood. Also, The Catholic Spirit photographer Dave Hrbacek and Father Troy Przybilla talk about finding faith while fishing.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
