By Victoria Edwards

This January, I had the opportunity to travel to Paris and Rome with some of the St. John’s University Catholic Scholars Program’s Sophomore Cohort.

The program, run by campus ministry was founded in 2012; the mission is for college students to learn and grow in their Catholic and Vincentian roots, which will allow them to go out into their home parishes and use the leadership skills they developed to better the community around them.

Along with 15 of my closest friends and one of the St. John’s University Staten Island Campus Ministers, Melissa Gibilaro, I began the four-day Vincentian Heritage tour in Paris. Having the ability to stand and say a prayer in front of the relics of the man who formed the Vincentian Order, St. Vincent de Paul, was such an amazing experience.

Touring Amienes, Gannes, and Folleville and seeing the beautiful churches, seeing where St. Louise de Marillac and St. Vincent de Paul founded the Daughters of Charity, and taking time to say a prayer in Notre Dame made me feel an even larger sense of pride in my faith.

I have attended a Catholic school all my life, and I have heard all about these influential people and the events that happened in their lives. Standing in the same rooms where they once stood is something that I never thought I would have the opportunity to do, and it is something that I’ll never forget.

After our Parisian adventures, we all flew to Rome, where we were greeted by Father John Maher, C.M., director of communications for the Congregation of the Mission.

Father Maher showed us all around the beautiful city. On our first day, he took us on a tour of the Vatican Museum, where we had the opportunity to see the Sistine Chapel. We were the guests of honor at lunch in a convent run by the Daughters of Charity. We ended our amazing day by going on a tour of the Pontifical North American College, which is where the seminarians from the U.S. can study. From the top of the building, we saw all of Rome, including the dome at the top of St. Peter’s.

Later in the week, Father Maher brought us to a Latin Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, and, afterwards, we attended Pope Francis’ Angelus. Hearing Pope Francis speak about the Gospel we just heard in Mass was one of the most moving experiences of my entire life.

At one point, Pope Francis said: “I am pleased to greet the group of students from the United States of America, as well as the Lay Association of Merciful Love. There is so much need of mercy today, and it is important that the lay faithful live it and bring it into different social environments. Go forth! We are living in the age of mercy, this is the age of mercy.” I don’t know about all of you, but I think getting mentioned by the pope during one of his talks is pretty cool!

We also attended a private Mass in one of the chapels underneath St. Peter’s with Father Maher presiding. Later in the day, we went on the Scavi tour, which is a guided tour of the necropolis located underneath St. Peter’s Basilica. This is where the bones of St. Peter, the first Bishop of Rome, are venerated. I was overcome with excitement and awe; this was something that I have been studying since I was young, and it was breathtaking to see St. Peter’s bones in person.

As I sat on the plane coming back home, I was upset that I was leaving, but I was also thankful for the amazing opportunity that I was given through the Catholic Scholars Program at St. John’s University. I urge all of you to try to make a pilgrimage to Rome at some point in your life; this is what dreams are made of.

Victoria Edwards is a sophomore at St. John’s University