Mass for the Papal Conclave
Wednesday, May 7, 8 a.m., Saint Matthew Catholic Church
Join us on Wednesday, May 7, at 8 a.m. for a special Mass marking the beginning of the Papal Conclave which will elect the 267th successor to Saint Peter.
The conclave, which begins on May 7, is preceded by a solemn Eucharistic celebration with the votive Mass Pro Eligendo Pontifice attended by the Cardinal electors. Following the Mass, the Cardinals will make their way to the Sistine Chapel to begin the election process.
Here are some ways you can participate during the conclave.
Adopt a cardinal. As the cardinals gather to make this decision, they need prayers for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Your class can adopt a cardinal to pray for! You can go to https://praycardinal.com and after a couple of clicks the website will give you the name and information of one cardinal so that you can pray for him during his deliberation and voting.
Watch for smoke. On Wednesday, May 7 there will be one vote taken. You can look for smoke around noon Central Time. Beginning on Thursday, there will be up to four votes taken per day. The first two rounds of votes are expected around 3:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. Central Time. The other two rounds of votes are expected around 10:30 a.m. and noon. The timing of these votes can vary depending on the Cardinals’ discussions and prayers. Despite four rounds of voting beginning on the second day, there will only be two smoke signals following the second and fourth votes, unless a new pope is elected on the first or third vote of a day. You can monitor the chimney on the Vatican’s YouTube channel or through EWTN.
Listen for the bells. Once a new pope has been elected, Saint Matthew will ring our bells in celebration.
Father Raines on a Podcast. Father Raines joined Catholic speaker and radio show host, Jennie Guinn, on her podcast Catholic Moms in the Middle, to discuss the conclave. He even shares who he personally thinks could make a great pope. Give it a listen here.
Watch Father Raines’ Conclave Class. Learn more here. If you haven’t yet, you can watch it here.