by Deacon Jun Hee Lee

Recently, I was given an amazing opportunity to meet our Holy Father, Pope Francis. I went with my chalice – the chalice that I will be using after I am ordained a priest for the Brooklyn Diocese on June 29 – with the hope and desire to see him and have it blessed.

By the grace of God, through the help of my spiritual director here in Rome, Msgr. Anthony Figueiredo, I was able to sit in the first row at a recent papal audience. At its conclusion and after greeting the bishops that were present, Pope Francis made his way around the Sagrato.

It was amazing to see him take his time, greeting everyone, one by one. It was a true witness of pastoral love and care for the people. After watching Pope Francis giving hugs, laughing with the people and giving hope and faith through his genuine love for them, it was my turn to meet him.

I shook his hands, kissed his ring and carefully began to speak to him in Italian. I introduced myself and told him that I was from the Diocese of Brooklyn and will be ordained at the end of June. Then I asked if he would bless my chalice.

Pope Francis, with a big smile on his face, immediately  blessed the chalice. Soon after, he looked at me in the eyes (so close I could feel his words on the tip of my nose) and said something that I will never forget for the rest of my life: “Always remember to celebrate every Mass from now on, as if it was your very first.”

Holding my tears and grateful for his kind and encouraging words, I thanked him and assured him of our prayers.

One of the greatest blessings of being in Rome is that we are at the heart of the Church, so close to the pope who is the Vicar of Christ on earth. During recent years, we have been blessed with such great and faithful individuals who were the face of the Church – Blessed Pope John Paul II, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis.

As I prepare my ordination, it is my hope and prayer that my classmates and all the priests in the diocese will serve our Lord and the people of God with faith, hope and the charity of Christ.