Habemus Papam!
Chant, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and a poem to a future generation
The Easter Season continues, and, Habemus Papam! We have a new pope. The world seems curious as to what Pope Leo XIV, successor of St. Peter the Apostle, and thus the shepherd of the “Barque of Peter” (the Catholic Church), will bring.
I appreciated these words from his inaugural Mass:
Accompanied by your prayers, we could feel the working of the Holy Spirit... I was chosen, without any merit of my own, and now, with fear and trembling, I come to you as a brother, who desires to be the servant of your faith and your joy, walking with you on the path of God’s love, for he wants us all to be united in one family.
- Pope Leo XIV, Inauguration Mass, May 18, 2025, Homily
When I returned to the Catholic Church, after forty or so years away, I decided - as with Christianity as a whole - to take a humble stance. What didn’t make sense to me, I would acknowledge with respect, and see what I might in time come to understand about it. But I wouldn’t cherry-pick, and I wouldn’t presume that I “knew better” - or that our times know better (that we’re somehow more evolved).
The papacy is one area where I now turn a curious ear. This is made easier with the internet and youtube. In the procession of the Cardinals into the Sistine Chapel at the start of the conclave to elect the new pope, the cardinals and choir chanted for a good 18 minutes, the Litany of Saints, “St. … (name), Ora pro nobis (pray for us)” and its various refrains.
That’s a lot of saints being called upon for holy help! At Easter Vigil, we had sung this litany in my own church - a much shorter version with not nearly as many saints, yet moving none the less.
Immersed in this Litany (and in the Laudes Regiae, described by EWTN as “a special litany invoking the saints to intercede for the Pope's sanctity as he begins his ministry as the successor of St. Peter,” sung just before Pope Leo’s Inauguration Mass), I experienced that with each saint sung, a sense building within me of the fullness of the Church as being composed of both heavenly and earthly members.
Particularly with the Litany of the Saints at the start of the conclave, I glimpsed how the Cardinals were an expression of the bishops, priests, parishioners, and religious orders - standing in for us all. Catholic faithful around the world were praying for the grace of God and the Holy Spirit to guide the choice of the new pope.
This, and other moments related to the choosing and inauguration of Pope Leo XIV touched me in a way I did not expect. The “Barque of St. Peter” felt like an actual vessel of Christ, sailing a sea of centuries of tradition and worship, and in the company of so many - saints and angels, pilgrims through the ages and across the globe. And - ah, the music!
Sing With the Pope
As are many, I am delighted that Pope Leo XIV chants. Catching wind of this interest, The Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music is now putting out “Let’s Sing With the Pope” videos on youtube.
These are so cool. Each short video takes a chanted prayer or response, and teaches you how to sing it by ear, and with Gregorian chant notation scrolling along to guide where you are in the music. So, not only do you learn to sing, for example, the “Regina Coeli,” but you get a gentle introduction into reading chant notation.
After going phrase by phrase through the song, and a run through of the whole thing, the video culminates with footage of the Pope singing whatever you’ve been working on, and you get to sing with him too.
If you’ve ever wanted to sing Gregorian chant, here’s a sweet way to dip in!
And how could I have missed this!
From OSV News:
“Catholics in Normandy commemorated the 100th anniversary of St. Thérèse of Lisieux's canonization with three days of solemn celebrations from May 16-18. Despite her short life, Thérèse Martin is known worldwide as "The Little Flower," a model of simple faith and profound spirituality.”
I don’t recall choosing a saint name at my Confirmation, lo, those many years ago, but, as my middle name growing up was Terese, she is the saint I turn to as my name saint. I am so unlike her! Yet, in her pursuit of being spiritually like a child, she understood the truth of Christ’s words:
Unless you turn and become like little children, you will not enter into the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 18:3
Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for of such is the kingdom of God" - Mark 10:14
And, having the huge grace of being able to adventure with children in nature, I glimpse this truth almost every week.
With that in mind, I offer a poem.
Love Letter
a Resurrection Prayer
At a spring feast in the community
where I work with children in nature
we make wishes
and write letters to a future generation.
Here is mine:
May you have a land filled with diverse trees and herbs,
and seas filled with salmon, seaweed, orca, and plankton
May the Island be restored in diversity,
Old growth forests, and in
peoples whose ways are an expression
of nature and God
May you speak a language of
Holy Spirit and the land
and grow vibrant foods and understand
the ways of the plant medicines and peace
May you craft chapels in the woods
and driftwood altars by the shore,
and care for one another,
and follow Christ as you would the deer
May you tell stories, and study scripture,
and sing psalms and write poetic responses
May you play games such as "Fisher Folk of Galilee,"
and mark the Hours with joyful outbursts of prayer
May you dwell in families who are strong and loving,
with parents whose marriage is a blessed tree,
nourishing and guiding and sheltering you to grow
May you know a primacy of fun and a lightness of spirit
Father in Heaven,
when I gaze upon the tiny meadow daisies
and imagine them as the souls of children yet to come
I pray that some small way of my imagination
has caught in a heart, and nestled as a seed
to whisper of eternity and
a brightness amidst winds
Carry my wonder forward, I AM*
May a leaf of it serve as
a love letter, to one child
or ten thousand.
More is ok too.
Amen!
*I AM refers to the Lord and the name he gave for himself: “I AM WHO I AM.”
In Peace and Joy,