Students at St. John Vianney Parish School in Brookfield watch news coverage of the election of the first American-born pope, Leo XIV, on Thursday, May 8. (Submitted photos)
A mock conclave, wearing red and watching live broadcasts together — these were just a few of the many ways Archdiocese of Milwaukee schools and students brought the selection of a new pope to life.
At St. John Vianney Parish School in Brookfield, middle schoolers crowded into a single classroom Thursday, May 8, to watch the news. History was happening. There was white smoke from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney. The 267th pope had been elected, and the world was waiting to learn the name of the man who would now lead the Catholic Church following the April 21 death of Pope Francis.
The students were visibly excited, Principal Kathy Davis said. Some even became emotional. To them, this was more than a news story unfolding in a distant country. This conclave had become personal.
Earlier, sixth and seventh graders had been assigned roles as “cardinal electors” in a mock conclave. Assuming created identities and choosing dioceses to represent, they filled the roles of scrutineers, Camerlengo, Master of Papal Ceremonies, Almoner and even doorkeeper.
Gregorian chants played as the College of Cardinals silently entered the “Sistine Chapel” (the SJV Activity Center). After vows of secrecy, the doors were shut and voting began. Four intense rounds of voting followed before white smoke rose from the chimney (a smoke machine stationed on the SJV stage): “Pope Luigi” had been elected, and stepped out to the “balcony” to be greeted by cheers and applause from his classmates.
The experience “brought Church tradition to life and reminded all our students of their potential to be thoughtful, visionary leaders for our community,” Davis said.
A similar scene took place earlier in the week in Hartland, where an extracurricular group of eight Catholic middle school students (some homeschooled, some students at local Catholic schools like St. Charles) adopted the conclave as their main unit of study. The boys all swore an oath of secrecy, the Litany of the Saints was sung, and voting began — where the boys quickly learned that voting for themselves would get them nowhere. It was a powerful lesson in humility, said one of the group parents, Maria Notch, a parishioner at St. Charles in Hartland. “They learned to be docile to the Holy Spirit and be willing to let go of their own preferences for the good of the group,” she said.
When the new pope was chosen, he headed to the “room of tears” to prepare before emerging from the front porch of the house to greet the faithful gathered on the front lawn.
“Neighbors witnessing the presentation said they had tears in their eyes,” Notch said.
At St. Frances Cabrini School in West Bend, students wore red shirts Wednesday, May 7, to mark the beginning of the conclave, and each student and staff member was given the name of a voting cardinal to pray for.
“The prayer was supposed to be that the Holy Spirit guide them in the decision-making process, but some were praying that their cardinal would win,” said Principal William Waech with a laugh. When Pope Leo XIV was elected Thursday, May 8, Habemus Papam — Latin for “we have a pope” — was read over the announcements and the news coverage was livestreamed during lunch. All students wore white shirts Friday, May 9, to celebrate the new pope.
“The kids need to see the adults in their life care about and be interested in all things Catholic,” Waech said. “If the adults in their life don’t show interest, why would the kids? This was one of the best Catholic teaching opportunities, and we took advantage of it!”
Jennifer Denten, a Spanish teacher at Catholic Memorial High School, had the news on in her classroom throughout the conclave and watched the white smoke billow from the chimney alongside her students. It was a “truly amazing” experience, she said. “We prayed together for our new pope, and I couldn’t get through the words, the emotion of hearing their voices praying together (was) so beautiful,” she posted on Facebook. The students suggested that the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel (composed by the last Pope Leo, Leo XIII), be added in Spanish to their class routine.
St. Agnes School in Butler allowed their students to watch coverage of the conclave, calling them in from recess once white smoke appeared. “We brought students in from recess and up from lunch to view the announcement of the new pope,” said Morgan White, third grade teacher at the school.
Seventh and eighth grade students at St. Boniface in Germantown closely followed the conclave as part of their religion curriculum, Principal Molly Simon said. Once the selection of a pope was announced, the news was streamed live in every classroom, and students were allowed to bring their Chromebooks to recess and lunch to watch Pope Leo XIV make his first appearance.
“Seeing our student body’s enthusiasm and engagement was truly inspiring,” said Simon. “Moments like these allow students to connect with the global Church, fostering an awareness that their faith extends far beyond the boundaries of their local parish community.”
