CLEVELAND — Six Saint Ignatius High School students are back from witnessing history. 

What You Need To Know

  • Six Saint Ignatius students attended Pope Francis' funeral at St. Peter's Square in Rome

  • Senior Noel Maddox said he will remember the experience forever

  • The next pope will be elected during a papal conclave beginning on May 7 

“It was really a unique experience that I’ll hold with me forever," Saint Ignatius senior Noel Maddox said.

The students arrived at the funeral for Pope Francis five hours before it started and stood the entire time.

“We were able to maybe get a football field length away from the altar, from all the dignitaries, all the politicians, all the cardinals, the casket, the doors to Saint Peter’s Basilica," Maddox said. "It was such an experience getting super close to where all of that happened.” 

The group from Saint Ignatius was just a small fraction of the 250,000 people that packed into St. Peter’s Square for the historic moment. 

“When I was there, I felt like I was a part of the entire world. It was insane," Maddox said. 

“As a Cleveland kid, that’s five times the Browns stadium," Saint Ignatius sophomore Joey Haddad said. "That’s what I think about when I hear that. How often does something like this happen where you can actually go to a pope’s funeral?”

Maddox said that seeing so many different people from around the world paying their respects to the first Jesuit pope is something that will stick with him forever.

“You just look around and see people speaking their own different languages. It really made me think; the church is so alive and enormous and present in these times of mourning and these times of joy," said Maddox.

In addition to the pope’s funeral, the students connected with other Jesuit students in Europe and saw the final resting place for the namesake of their school, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, inside the Church of the Gesù in Rome. 

“We were able to see mass in the same place he passed away in and we were able to see the painting that he wanted to look at as he died," Maddox shared. "It was really a unique and intimate experience. We live through his motto of being meant for others so getting to be there where everything started was really important.” 

The next leader of the Catholic Church will be chosen during a papal conclave that begins on May 7. The students said they found it unique they were in the same vicinity as the new pope. 

"Even with the future pope, we don’t know who it is yet, but chances are we were there with him," Maddox said. "That was huge. It was a blessing to be able to go there and I will always think back to those moments for sure.” 

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