La Salle Academy

z eight seniors made the pilgrimage, along with teachers david martinez and bethany deacutis ’05. pictured at left, from left, are (front), rebecca
malachowski, patrice yeboah, elise papazian and michaela andreozzi; (back) brian roque, jack farley, nate ledoux and christian sorenson.
La Salle group thrilled to be part of
Papal visit to Washington, D.C.
A
group of eight La Salle students and two teachers were
present on the Capitol lawn as Pope Francis gave his
historic address to the U.S. Congress in September.
The invitation to be part of the Papal visit came from Senator
Sheldon Whitehouse’s office. “Matt Daly (director of Campus
Ministry) and I met to talk about who we might invite on this
experience,” said Christine Estes, chair of the Religious Studies
Department. “We chose seniors who are active in the faith
life of La Salle and who have demonstrated leadership. All eight
students who were invited jumped at the chance to attend!”
The La Salle contingent traveled to Washington, D.C. on
board a bus with students from St. Raphael Academy, St. Mary
Academy–Bay View, Mount St. Charles Academy and The Prout
School. Religion teachers David Martinez and Bethany Deacutis
’05 accompanied the students. “I was amazed at how the city of
Washington had shut down for the day,” remarked David. “It
wasn’t business as usual. Instead, it felt like a combination rock
concert and prayer service. The students completely immersed
themselves in the celebratory atmosphere. I’m hopeful for the
future of the Catholic Church, with Pope Francis at the helm.
I’m also hopeful for the local church, after being with 40 young,
committed Catholics for 36 hours on this pilgrimage.”
Bethany also felt energized by the young people that she
chaperoned. “The students were really excited and were happy
to be a part of something so special,” she said. “Their zeal and
fun spirit really brought joy to me and to the trip.”
Nathan Ledoux ’16 reflected on what impressed him most
about Pope Francis. “His humility. I’ve seen his acts of humility
before, but being in his presence made his words all the
more special,” wrote Nathan. “He said that children are the
most important people here. He continued to ask all of us in
the crowd to pray for him. This statement and request that he
made was one of the most awe-inspiring moments.”
In addition to Nathan, seniors Michaela Andreozzi, Jack
Farley, Rebecca Malachowski, Elise Papazian, Brian Roque,
Christian Sorensen and Patrice Yeboah made the trip.
28 | la salle academy alumni magazine z 2015