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Seminarian shares music, prayer with Pope Francis

Stephen Gadberry gave the pope his harmonica and a word about martyred priest

Published: October 24, 2014   
Malea Hargett / Arkansas Catholic file
Seminarian Stephen Gadberry of Wynne adds soul with his harmonica during the seminarian band’s performance at the Taste of Faith fundraiser for seminarian education Aug. 9 in Little Rock.

Diocesan seminarian Stephen Gadberry of Wynne shared two of his loves with Pope Francis recently.

Gadberry, who is studying at the North American College in Rome, was chosen through a lottery system to be an altar server during a papal Mass for two new Canadian saints Oct. 12 at St. Peter’s Basilica. Sts. Marie de l’Incarnation and Francois de Laval were remembered during the Mass.

“Around two or three times each year, the Vatican will call upon the North American College for seminarians to be acolytes, or altar servers, for the Holy Father,” Gadberry wrote in an e-mail message to Arkansas Catholic. “With 250 men here, we usually get one or two shots over the course of our four years here. If a new pope is elected, the slate is wiped clean. A number of men have served for Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis. A sign-up list is posted for those who have not yet served. From that list, 10 or 12 are selected.”

Gadberry said the Mass was “simple” and “peaceful.”

“It was quite comforting actually,” he said. “The Mass is the Mass, whether two people are present or 5,000, and Christ is truly there in the Eucharist, whether the celebrating priest was ordained yesterday or the pope is celebrating the Mass. It speaks to the depth of our faith and the reality of Christ’s presence in the sacraments. The liturgy was very pretty and dignified, but there were not a lot of bells and whistles. That made it feel all the more personal. It truly felt as if I was with my best friends in a warm and personal setting rather than at a business meeting with the elites.”

While the Mass was peaceful, Gadberry said he was experiencing a lot of emotions inside.

“There was so much joy and peace, excitement and tranquility,” he said. “If you could imagine Christmas, Easter, the World Series, a family reunion, a rock concert, mix all of that energy together and squeeze it into your heart, that may be what it could be compared to.”

Before Mass, along with the other altar servers, Gadberry shook hands with the pope and spoke to him in Spanish. Gadberry is known for his talents on the harmonica and gave the pope his own instrument with a little letter about friendship with Christ attached. He also shared a prayer card for the canonization cause of Father Stanley Rother, an Oklahoma priest that Bishop Anthony B. Taylor helped to promote.

“I have a strong devotion to Father Stanley Rother, the priest of Oklahoma City who was murdered in Guatemala on July 28, 1981,” he said. “His cause for martyrdom was presented to the Vatican in early September by Archbishop (Paul) Coakley of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. I hope to see Father Rother canonized, sooner rather than later. I told Father Rother in prayer that I would do what I could to help his cause, but that he would have to help make things happen. He did. I gave Pope Francis the prayer card of Father Stanley Rother right away and he showed great interest in it. He skimmed over it and asked about the priest, allowing me some time to explain his story.”

“After talking to him for a bit, with teary eyes and a lump in my throat I asked, ‘¿Me da un abrazo?’ (Can you give me a hug?) His eyes lit up and he said ‘Si!’”

It was Gadberry’s first time to serve at Mass with Pope Francis. He did have an opportunity to be an altar server for New Year’s Eve prayer vigil in 2012 with Pope Benedict XVI, but Gadberry broke his ankle and was on crutches so he was not able to fully participate in his ministerial duties.

While it was Gadberry’s first time to serve with Pope Francis, he has had the chance to greet him twice this spring.

“Having been to a number of audiences, I have learned how to hunt out the best seat,” he said.

“It is not always up front, you see, as is the common misconception. It is best to sit as close to the aisle, any aisle, as possible, even if it is in the very, very back. The Holy Father usually roams around after the events to greet individuals.”

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