Two priests from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, recently had the opportunity to meet Pope Leo XIV who promised to pray for the school community.
Trinitarian Father Albert Anuszewski, the school’s president, and Trinitarian Father Josh Warshak, a campus minister at DeMatha, met the Holy Father in June during the general chapter of the Trinitarian Order.
A general chapter is when representatives within a religious order gather to elect leadership and discuss issues of concern to its members. The Trinitarian order sponsors the all-boys Catholic high school.
The Trinitarian papal audience with Pope Leo was held in conjunction with the Conventual Franciscan Order which was also holding its general chapter in Rome at the same time. Father Anuszewski said that traditionally during a general chapter, an audience with the pope takes place.
“Given that the Vatican is in a Jubilee year, it was unclear if things were going to fall into place,” the priest said. “Even with that, I was not sure that each of us would have the chance to individually greet the pope.”
Father Anuszewski said that between the two religious orders, “we were probably 50 or 60 of us” at the papal audience. He said the pope “gave a beautiful reflection” about St. Francis and St. John de Matha, founder of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity (Trinitarians).
“He started out in Italian, then he addressed us in Spanish,” Father Anuszewski said. “It was amazing to see his ability to maneuver between languages, and it’s easy to see how people have taken to him.”
After the audience, attendees were invited to line up and greet the pope individually. When it was Father Anuszewski’s turn, he presented Pope Leo with a DeMatha baseball cap, which he brought along just in case there was an opportunity to present the Holy Father with some swag.
“I then said, ‘Your Holiness, I am the president of DeMatha Catholic High School. I would like to present this hat to you’,” the priest recalled. “The pope said, ‘I have heard of your school.’”
Father Anuszewski said the pope “probably heard about us from his years as a provincial (of his Augustinian order) and from his years at Villanova, where we (DeMatha) has sent students over the years.”
The priest also promised the pope that the DeMatha community would pray for him and asked Leo “to remember the families of DeMatha, especially those who have lost their jobs or are struggling with tuition. Pope Leo said he would do so.”
“This really was a great opportunity, and I am very impressed with him, his character and how he approaches everything in a very humble way and a very gentle way,” Father Anuszewski said. “He gives you his undivided attention. He listens intently. I could see that he is just a genuine human being.”
