Windsor students land in Rome less than 24 hours after new Pope elected

High schoolers have touched down in Rome for their graduation trip, right after the new Pope was named. CTV Windsor’s Sanjay Maru has the details.

A school trip planned more than a year ago has placed a group of Windsor students just steps from where a new pope was named.

40 students from St. Joseph’s Catholic High School touched down in Rome at 11 a.m. Central European Summer Time on May 9, less than 24 hours after white smoke rose above Vatican City, signaling the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff.

The group departed from their Windsor high school at 10:30 a.m. on May 8, boarded a flight in Toronto that evening at 7:30 p.m., and arrived in Rome the next morning — just as the city was continuing to react to the historic announcement.

When asked if she ever thought the trip would coincide with the election of a new pope, Grade 12 student Ceyda Yilmaz said “absolutely not.”

“I didn’t think it was something we’d ever get to see,” said Yilmaz.

“It’s cool that we do.”

Her classmate, Tessa Ferrone, said the possibility of a papal transition wasn’t even on their radar when the group first began planning the school’s annual overseas excursion.

“When the Pope passed and we knew the conclave was going to happen, I thought maybe we’d catch glimpses of it on the news,” she said, about two hours after the students touched down in Rome.

“But the fact that it was over so quickly and we’re going to be in the heart of it all is even crazier.”

Now in its 12th year, the trip is led by a rotating group of department heads — covering history, languages and the arts — and is open to senior students in Grades 11 and 12.

Destinations change each year. This time, the itinerary spans 10 days, including eight touring days in Italy and Greece and two travel days.

The Vatican leg of the tour includes visits to the museums and St. Peter’s Basilica — though access to the Sistine Chapel was restricted due to the recent conclave.

Yilmaz said the spiritual weight of the trip goes beyond her own beliefs.

“I go to a Catholic high school, but I’m not Catholic myself,” Yilmaz said.

“Being able to actually be there and see the faith, it’s something really amazing to experience.”

Yilmaz added the significance wasn’t lost on anyone in the group, even during more chaotic moments.

“We were at the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, and it was so busy we actually lost half our group,” she said.

“But honestly, that’s part of the fun. Just knowing we were there during such a historic moment made it worth it.”

Ferrone added that what makes the experience even more surreal is knowing how closely it’s being followed by family back home.

“My grandparents are watching it on TV, and I can say, ‘When I was there, they were filming what you were watching on the news.’ That’s crazy,” she said.

Jessica Owchar, the school’s department head of arts and one of four teacher-chaperones on the trip, said the tour was originally timed to align with the Jubilee Year — a traditional Catholic pilgrimage year focused on hope and renewal.

“We were planning this trip because we knew it was the Jubilee Year,” she said.

“Pilgrims of Hope is what we were aiming for.”

But when Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, it reshaped not only the Church, but the purpose of the trip itself.

“All of a sudden, we went from talking about Michelangelo’s Last Judgment to asking, ‘When is the funeral happening? When is the conclave starting?’” Owchar said.

“To have them actually here just after a conclave is history in the making. It’s something they can talk about for the rest of their lives and pass on to future generations.”

Owchar said many students on the trip have siblings who participated in past editions and a handful, such as Ferrone, are making the journey for a second time.

“You think you’ll get used to it,” she said,

“But with a moment like this, none of us will forget it.”