Deacon Thomas O’Donnell of Catonsville experiences power of papal transition in Rome

Deacon Thomas O’Donnell keeps returning to one word – “powerful” – to describe a weeklong experience in Rome where he literally was steps away from a historic papal transition.

The Catonsville native is completing his studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

He said he was five feet away from Pope Francis when the pope rode through St. Peter’s Square after giving his final blessing April 20 (Easter Sunday), a day before he died.

He later served as the lead deacon at Mass on the sixth day of the “novendiali,” nine days of mourning for Pope Francis, at the Altar of the Confession in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican May 1. During that Mass, he was in the procession next to the future Pope Leo XIV and knelt next to then-Cardinal Robert Prevost for much of the liturgy.

“I even exchanged the Sign of Peace with him,” said Deacon O’Donnell, 30, who is in his final year of formation before his June 21 ordination in Baltimore. “That was a cool moment, very cool.”

He said the entire experience has been a “blessing.”

During his four years of seminary in Rome, he said he witnessed the health decline of Pope Francis and was moved by the experience.

“He’s been pope for most of my lifetime, so it’s a unique blessing to be able to walk through that rather than seeing it on the news. It was a very powerful experience to be able to go to St. Peter’s Square when he was in the hospital and pray the rosary for him with people from all over the world,” said the graduate of Loyola University Maryland, Mount St. Joseph in Irvington and St. Mark School in Catonsville.

After Pope Francis’ death, a contingent of about 10 cardinals from North America stayed at the seminary. The cardinals are back living there until after Pope Leo’s May 18 inauguration.

“We got to see the cardinals every morning before the conclave, and I look back on that as a real blessing. We were able to pray with them and for them. There was a lot of hustle and bustle in the seminary.”

Deacon O’Donnell also said the seminarians were in the midst of praying a novena to St. Catherine of Siena, who had a special devotion to the papacy. He said by happenstance, the moment Pope Leo XIV was elected he was praying to St. Catherine in the Basilica of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, her burial place as well as that of Pope Leo X and Pope Paul IV.

He and his fellow seminarians were hoping to be in St. Peter’s Square when the white smoke signaled the election of a new pope. He left his friends in the square the morning of May 1 to do homework because he didn’t think the smoke would appear so quickly. When he learned of the election, he made it to the square within 10 minutes and was there when the new pope appeared on the balcony.

“It was the most powerful thing I’ve ever been a part of,” he said.

He said the most special part for him is knowing that when he’s a priest, he’ll have a special connection each time he celebrates Mass when he invokes Pope Leo’s name during the eucharistic prayer.

“He has a very difficult job, and to think he probably had the least ambition to be pope,” Deacon O’Donnell said. “But I think Rome is in very good hands. It will give me great joy to come back to Baltimore for my ordination knowing he’s in charge.”

For now, it is back to the books for Deacon O’Donnell, who plans to return to Rome in October for more studies after his ordination.

“After all this excitement, you’re telling me I still have to go back to school?” he joked.

Email Gerry Jackson at gjackson@CatholicReview.org

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