PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Not everyone can say that they broke bread with a future pope, but one local seminarian can.

Deacon Paulo Salazar, a transitional deacon from Jackson Heights studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome in preparation for his ordination to the priesthood in the Diocese of Brooklyn, was among the hundreds of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square cheering wildly as Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV came onto the balcony to speak to the world for the first time as pontiff.

However, it was not the first time Deacon Salazar had seen the now-pope in person. In late 2024, the then-Cardinal Robert Prevost paid a special visit to him and his fellow seminarians. He called the cardinal a “really prayerful, humble, and charitable man.”

“He came to our seminary … to spend [this past] Thanksgiving with us,” Deacon Salazar recalled. “He celebrated a nice Thanksgiving Mass. He stayed for the meal, and it was just a very beautiful moment to share with him.”

“I think we sent him home with a couple slices of pumpkin pie,” he said, noting that he will pray for the new pope. 

Deacon Salazar, a graduate of Cathedral Preparatory School and Seminary in Elmhurst who will be ordained on June 28, was standing amid the massive crowd in St. Peter’s Square when a plume of white smoke billowed out of the Sistine Chapel chimney. But he almost missed the historic moment.

After almost deciding to stay away from St. Peter’s Square on that day, he changed his mind and was able to witness history as the first American pope stepped out onto the balcony.

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“I had about eight hours of classes … and I wasn’t sure if I’m going to go down to the square,” Deacon Salazar said, explaining that he considered skipping because he thought the College of Cardinals would be more likely to elect a pope on the third day of the conclave rather than the second.

But something told him not to miss his chance. 

“I think something in my heart kind of told me to go down there,” Deacon Salazar said. “And so I went. I waded through security for about 40ish minutes. I was able to get a very nice spot in the square.”

He was standing with friends from the seminary when the white smoke rose, and soon after, to hear the announcement that a new pope had been elected. 

It was a moment Deacon Salazar said he will never forget. 

“Just hearing the ‘Habemus Papam’ and then hearing the name … it was a very emotional moment,” he remembered. “I think I grabbed my friends [and said] ‘Prevost, American! It’s an American!’” 

“It was just a very, very grace-filled moment and just truly an emotional moment for me, as a Catholic, as an American,” Deacon Salazar added. “To witness the election of an American pope and have him come out and speak to us was beautiful.

“Divine providence is just a beautiful thing.”