Brendan Bonin, sophomore student at the University of St. Thomas, recently had the honor of assisting with the Easter Sunday mass in the Vatican City, alongside Pope Francis. Bonin recently spoke with The Catholic Spirit about how this happened and his experience during the globally-televised mass.
From the story:
University of St. Thomas in St. Paul sophomore Brendan Bonin proclaimed the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, with his parents and siblings in the congregation. Bonin came to Rome with UST’s Catholic Studies program. ...
Brendan said one of his professors was asked about obtaining lectors for Holy Week and Easter Masses in St. Peter’s Square. Two women from UST’s Catholic Studies program read at Palm Sunday Mass and the Easter Vigil, and 13 students from UST’s campus in Rome participated in the procession of palms from the Palm Sunday Mass. Brendan was chosen to read at the Easter Mass in part because his family would be in Rome.
“Hearing that I might read at the pope’s Mass was amazing in itself, but realizing I had been chosen left me speechless,” Brendan wrote in an email exchange.