Less than 48 hours after the election of Pope Leo XIV, 1,430 middle school students attending BASH at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington May 10, were buzzing with excitement.
“Everyone was really shocked that we have an American pope,” said Lyla Stenstrom, of St. Timothy School in Chantilly. “People of my generation think it’s really cool and a great opportunity for everyone.”
Emanuel Bautista of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church in Fredericksburg was thrilled that Pope Leo XIV has a long history in Peru and speaks fluent Spanish. “He can connect with Hispanic culture,” said Bautista. “I think this is going to mean big things for us because he will represent us. It means a lot.”
Father Peter M. McShurley’s announcement on X to O’Connell students May 8, ”Leo XIV is Cardinal Prevost, he’s American,” has gone viral with more than 1.6 million views. Father McShurley called it “an incredible outpouring.”
“The students are going to remember that moment,” he said. “They will know that when we see the successor of Peter, the vicar of Christ on earth, we belong to this church. He’s our Holy Father and they’ll be able to carry that into the future.”
“I wasn’t expecting an American pope in my lifetime, but it happened and I’m very excited about it,” said Quinn Reilly, who attends St. Luke Church in McLean. “I think a lot more kids in America will want to learn about Christianity and may convert to Catholicism.”
BASH, the annual gathering for middle school students organized by the diocesan office of Youth, Campus, and Young Adult Ministries, featured music, games, confessions, speakers, Mass, and lots of pizza.
Maddy Moran of Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville recalled the moment when she learned a new pope had been elected. “I was with the Aquinas homeschool co-op at recess,” she said. “The director came out and just screamed, ‘White smoke.’ When we found out it was an American, we were just screaming and cheering. It was amazing.”
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated Mass and said in his homily that the election of Pope Leo XIV offers some profound lessons. “I’m sure you learned a lot these last few days about the conclave, about that process,” he said. “It teaches us how we might know peace in our lives. For example, all the cardinals who go into the Sistine Chapel to elect a pope, prior to that, devote themselves to quiet and prayer so they can hear the Lord, hear the Holy Spirit speaking to their hearts.”
“There’s so much noise all around you every day,” said Bishop Burbidge. “How can you hear peace? How can you hear the Lord speaking to your heart unless you’re quiet?
Keynote speaker Oscar Rivera challenged students to consider the difference between optimism and hopefulness. “We have a God that’s gonna give us hope,” he said. “Because optimism ain’t gonna cut it. When we say we’re abounding in hope, we’re not abounding in optimism. We abound in a promise that God gave us from the very beginning of time that you and I will be with him together in eternity.”
With the election of Pope Leo XIV, hope was in abundant supply at BASH. “This is going to be a great time in history,” said Cecelia Duncan of St. Timothy School. “It is amazing for all of us.”
