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St Vincent de Paul Southwest Idaho director meets with Pope Leo XIV during papal audience
By Ralph May
SVdP Executive Director
In addition to my role as Executive Director for St. Vincent de Paul Southwest Idaho, I also have the great honor and responsibility to serve as a member of the Board of Directors for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul National Council of the United States as one of two representatives for the Executive Directors and CEOs across the nation. There are currently 26 National Board members. I am blessed to be a parishioner of Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Boise.
On Aug. 28, the Board of Directors for the United States National Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul met with Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican’s Consistory Hall in a private audience. It was the first time any United States Society of St. Vincent de Paul Board has been invited to a papal audience.
I was especially excited to have the opportunity to be in Pope Leo’s presence, not just because he was the first American Pope, but also because we share the experience of serving as missionaries in Peru, specifically in the city of Trujillo. He was there from 1992 – 1998; my wife, Theresa, our daughter, Hannah, and I served as lay missionaries there from 2005 – 2011. Because of the shared experience and connection with the very poor on the Northern Coast of Peru, I had a very deep feeling of connection with Pope Leo when he was elected.
The Papal Audience
As Pope Leo entered the room, I was struck with how heavy the papacy must weigh on him. Not only is he the successor to St. Peter, the head of the Catholic Church, but he is also a world leader with ambassadors and embassies around the world. Only with the Holy Spirit is that possible.
I was completely consumed with his presence. As he spoke, I hung on every word. Pope Leo was speaking directly to us as a group, representing some 80,000 Vincentians in the United States. He referred to his first Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi Te, which speaks at length about how we must love the poor. At the end of the address, each of us had the incredible honor of individually greeting and speaking with Pope Leo. I was pretty sure that I would be unable to speak when it was my turn. That did not come to pass. In the minute or so that I had with our Holy Father, I was able to tell him that my family had served in Trujillo as lay missionaries. He asked me when we were there and, later, what religious order we served. I know that he will not remember me. That is okay. I had the opportunity to speak briefly with Pope Leo about our shared history and experiences. I found being in his presence brought an extraordinary peace in my soul. I was numb as we followed the Swiss Guard back down the marble steps that led us back to St. Peter’s Square. I spent the next hour or more praying in St. Peter’s; it was a unique and unforgettable day, to be sure!
Meeting Pope Leo was a powerful, spiritual experience for me. I am confident that I will reflect on and cherish the experience for the rest of my life. I am not sure why this opportunity came to me, but I am humbled by it and will keep Pope Leo XIV in my prayers always.
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
TO A DELEGATION OF THE SOCIETY OF
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL, U.S.
With great joy I extend my cordial greetings to all of you, and I hope that your time in Rome, in the Eternal City will strengthen your faith and deepen your desire to serve the Lord and to serve His Church. I thank you in particular for your devoted service to the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, and through it, to your brothers and sisters across the United States of America. Indeed, by freely offering your God-given gifts and talents, you give eloquent witness to your faith in service to the building up of the Kingdom of God.
Saint Vincent de Paul demonstrated that prayer and social justice are not merely complementary but are in fact inseparable. It is therefore my hope that you will continually turn to your heavenly patron in order to follow his example and seek his intercession.
Moreover, as I recalled in Dilexi Te, Saint Augustine taught the Christocentric nature of care for the poor and held that God will not be outdone in generosity to those who serve them.
Dear friends, I urge you, then, always to give of yourselves. In this way, the Lord’s grace will steadily purify your hearts and minds, and you will more readily recognize Christ in your neighbor, both in those you serve and in those with whom you work.
Finally, when you return to your homes, please know that you do so accompanied by my prayers. In a particular way, I ask you to bring my warm greetings to your colleagues and to the people for whom you care. With these thoughts, I entrust each of you to the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church. And perhaps, today, in a special way, also to Saint Augustine on his feast day. Thank you.
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