On March 13, 2013, Pope Francis was elected as pope and made his first public appearance in the role at St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. That day, Tom Schulzetenberg, the director of strategic projects at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, and his wife, JoAnn, the head of school at the Way of the Shepherd in Blaine, were in St. Peter’s Square when white smoke appeared from the specially-installed chimney of the Sistine Chapel, indicating a new pope had been selected.
The couple was in Rome because they were running a campus for St. Mary University.
Tom told Rachael McCallum, producer of the “Practicing Catholic” show, for an episode set to air at 9 p.m. May 2 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, that there was pandemonium in St. Peter’s Square the moment the white smoke appeared.
“JoAnn hopped the fence of St. Peter’s Square to run inside,” Tom said. “And I had our little son strapped on, and I was running to keep up with her. It was raining; there were people everywhere. It was crazy. But it was such an exciting night. And of course, when he came out, the crowd just erupted in cheers and spontaneous songs and prayers. It was really quite an experience.”
JoAnn said the city of Rome seemed to stop in that moment and rush to St. Peter’s Square.
“I typically don’t jump over any barricades,” JoAnn said. “That’s not my thing. But in that moment, there was just this power of, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re here. This is amazing.’ … I still get goosebumps just thinking about it because it was just such an emotional time.”
Tom said that living in Rome during Pope Francis’ papacy was a special time for anyone, but especially for students. He impressed upon his students at the time while working at the University of St. Mary that it was a special privilege to study in Rome, but especially during the election of a new pope.
“I remember the night of the election,” Tom said, “we got back to campus and it was already late. It was probably close to midnight. But the students are just so wired and they’re just jumping off the walls with excitement. We’re talking about 20-year-olds who are excited about something like this. They understood the gravity of the moment. And I think they understood God put them in this place for this time.”
To hear more from the Schulzetenbergs about their time in Rome during the election of Pope Francis, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. May 3 and 2 p.m. May 4. Also on the program, Bishop Kevin Kenney talks about hope during Easter. And Sheila McCallum, a Little Falls artist, explains how art and faith intersect.
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.
