By Mary Frances McCarthy
Herald Staff Writer
(From the issue of 4/7/05)

This is the third year Father Dennis Kleinmann, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Alexandria, has taken eighth-graders on a pilgrimage to Italy after their confirmation. This year, they were part of a historical crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square to pray for an ailing, and then a deceased pontiff.

Father Kleinmann, 11 youths and 10 parents left for Italy on Easter Sunday. They traveled to Naples, Capri and Pompeii before they arrived in Rome on Wednesday. On Thursday they heard that Pope John Paul II’s health was declining, so on Friday night they went to the Vatican to pray with other pilgrims who packed the square.

Father Kleinmann described the experience as "very eerie and very moving." The square outside the pope’s apartment window was full of people, but there was almost total silence.

After a day-trip on Saturday, they returned to the square for a prayer service for youths. At this prayer service, at about 10 p.m., the death of the pope was announced. But because the announcement was in Italian, the group was not quite sure if it was true.

But then, Father Kleinmann said, the bells tolled and everyone knelt. Cardinal Eduardo Martinez Somalo made the announcement and led the Glorious Mysteries of the rosary. The group from St. Mary Church brought candles with them that night, and along with 70,000 others, took part in the candlelight vigil outside the papal apartment.

On Sunday, Father Kleinmann was scheduled to celebrate Mass for the group in the Basilica, but when they arrived they were told no Masses would be celebrated there that day. They were told to come back for the 10:30 a.m. Mass in the square and Father Kleinmann could possibly concelebrate.

When they returned, the parents and youths found their place to stand for the Mass, and Father Kleinmann concelebrated with 30 cardinals, 60 bishops and "a lot of priests."

The youths were fortunate enough to be standing next to a Franciscan novice from Maine who, when she realized they spoke English, translated the homily for them.

According to Father Kleinmann the youths "were very moved as they listened to the words." He understood very little of what was said in Italian but was very excited to concelebrate and distribute Communion at a Mass in St. Peter’s Square.

What touched him most, he said, was the devotion in the faces of the young people who received communion. While he saw many nuns, seminarians and priests and a number of older people, he said the crowd was predominantly young.

Even in the afternoon on Sunday, he said there were still crowds of young people gathered — people stared up at the windows of the papal apartment deep in prayer, a group of Spanish-speaking youths sang songs and danced. Even churches down the street were filled.

While the students were originally disappointed that they weren’t able to attend Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, Father Kleinmann said the Mass in St. Peter’s Square proved to be a wonderful experience for all of them.

"They knew that this was a historic moment and they were part of it," he said. "All of them said it was an unbelievable experience and they were very moved by it."