Wow, wow, wow. When our Holy Father was announced yesterday, I had one thought: WHO??

Then we needed to leave to make it to Margaret’s Little Flower Group, so I loaded the kids in the car, without seeing the first blessing. On the way to town, I remembered NPR would be carrying the news of our new Holy Father, so I turned on the radio in time to hear the beginning of the new Holy Father’s Urbi et Orbi message and blessing.

I fell in love. 

At his request, I prayed along with him, for Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI. I think I made it part way through the Our Father before I started crying. Then he asked for our prayers for him and silence fell over St. Peter Square (and the NPR commentator and the minivan) as everyone prayed for our new Papa. I wept as I prayed for him, the Vicar of Christ. As he gave us his blessing, my tears continued, as I was moved by this humble man, blessing us all, and thanked God for his gift of Pope Francis to the Universal Church.

Apostolic Blessing “Urbi et Orbi”:

Brothers and sisters, good evening!

You know that it was the duty of the Conclave to give Rome a Bishop.  It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone to the ends of the earth to get one… but here we are… I thank you for your welcome.  The diocesan community of Rome now has its Bishop.  Thank you!      And first of all, I would like to offer a prayer for our Bishop Emeritus, Benedict XVI.  Let us pray together for him, that the Lord may bless him and that Our Lady may keep him. 

Our Father…

Hail Mary…

Glory Be…

And now, we take up this journey:  Bishop and People.  This journey of the Church of Rome which presides in charity over all the Churches.  A journey of fraternity, of love, of trust among us.  Let us always pray for one another.  Let us pray for the whole world, that there may be a great spirit of fraternity.  It is my hope for you that this journey of the Church, which we start today, and in which my Cardinal Vicar, here present, will assist me, will be fruitful for the evangelization of this most beautiful city. 

And now I would like to give the blessing, but first – first I ask a favour of you: before the Bishop blesses his people, I ask you to pray to the Lord that he will bless me: the prayer of the people asking the blessing for their Bishop.  Let us make, in silence, this prayer:  your prayer over me. 

[…]

Now I will give the Blessing to you and to the whole world, to all men and women of good will.

[Blessing]

Brothers and sisters, I leave you now.  Thank you for your welcome.  Pray for me and until we meet again.  We will see each other soon.  Tomorrow I wish to go and pray to Our Lady, that she may watch over all of Rome.  Good night and sleep well!

 

 

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent: 

Thus says the LORD:
Lo, I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness
in what I create;
For I create Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight;
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and exult in my people.
No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there,
or the sound of crying;
No longer shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime;
He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years,
and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed.
They shall live in the houses they build,
and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant.

Isaiah 65:17-21

Check back here for links and information about the Conclave!

I have posted a different article with the time tables for checking for White Smoke!

Yesterday Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, SJ released a schedule for the sessions of the conclave to elect a new pope, set to begin Tuesday, March 12, including a time-table for when the “fumata” (the black or white smoke indicating whether or not a new pontiff has been elected) can be expected from the Sistine Chapel chimney.

On Tuesday morning, a Mass “For the Election of the Roman Pontiff” will be celebrated in St. Peter’s Square, with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals, presiding. Later that day:

On Tuesday at 3:45pm, the cardinals will move from the Domus Sanctae Marthae to the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace. At 4:30pm, the cardinals will process from the Pauline Chapel to the Sistine Chapel and, after they have all taken the oath, the Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations will give the order “Extra omnes” for all those not taking part in the Conclave to leave the Sistine Chapel. The cardinals will listen to a meditation given by Cardinal Grech, concerning the grave duty incumbent on them and thus on the need to act with right intention for the good of the Universal Church, after which they will proceed to the first vote. At 7:00pm they will pray Vespers and, at 7:30pm, will return to the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

Beginning on Wednesday, 13 March, the cardinals will move from the Domus Sanctae Marthae to the Pauline Chapel at 7:45am where, at 8:15am, they will celebrate Mass. At 9:30am they will enter the Sistine Chapel, pray the Liturgy of the Hours, and proceed to the voting process. Around 12:00pm they will return to the Domus Sanctae Marthae and, after lunch there, will go back to the Sistine Chapel at 4:00pm where they will pray briefly and resume the voting procedure until 7:00pm.

Catholic News Service’s Cindy Wooden explains the “windows” during which smoke can be expected during the days of voting below; I’ve added the US Eastern times in brackets:

The first smoke signal can be expected about 7 p.m. [2 pm ET] Tuesday, after the first vote.

Beginning Wednesday, smoke would be expected at about noon [7 am ET] and again about 7 p.m [2 pm ET].

However, if a pope is elected on the first ballot of the morning, the white smoke would billow forth between 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. [5:30 am and 6 am ET]. If he is elected on the first ballot of the afternoon, the white smoke would be seen between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. [12:30 pm and 1 pm ET].

After a white smoke signal, it takes about 40-45 minutes before the announcement of the name of the candidate who won. He must accept the office, change to white vestments and the cardinals pledge their obedience and pray again.

From Robert Moynihan comes a final detail; the words that will be proclaimed to the world following the election of a new pope:

Once a Pope is elected, and accepts his election, the senior Cardinal Deacon (the Cardinal Protodeacon, currently Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran) appears at the main balcony of the basilica’s façade to proclaim the new Pope with the Latin phrase (assuming the new Pope is a cardinal):

 

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam! Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum,

Dominum [forename], Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem [surname], qui sibi nomen imposuit [papal name].

 

(“I announce to you a great joy: We have a Pope! The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Lord,

Lord [forename], Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church [surname], who takes to himself the name [papal name].”)

 

I don’t seem to recall knowing this information in 2005, so I thought I’d share it with you all as well. This helps tremendously, as does the Pope Alarm website in knowing when to check the news!

A pretty cool graphic from Focus Ministries.

Those wonderful people over at Focus Ministries have set up the Pope Alarm. This is your answer to “what happens if the pope is elected in the morning??!!!”  All you do is sign up, give your phone number for a text message or your email address to have an email sent when the white smoke starts to appear.

According to Fr. Lombardi, the official Vatican spokesman, the announcement of the new pope will be about 30-40 minutes after the smoke appears.

Also, here a link to the Vatican News with the time table for Tuesday and Wednesday.