Seminarians excited for Pope Francis' stay next month

LOWER MERION, Pa. (WPVI) -- When Pope Francis comes to our region next month, he will rest his head at the Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary, and some of the people most excited about the pontiff's stay are the new students who just moved into the seminary dorms.

Orientation for seminarians somewhat resembles what secular college students experience - the anxious young men, the parents, the fans for the dorm rooms. But this quite clearly is a different calling, and enrolling this year is almost like hitting a religious jackpot.

Pope Francis will reside in this building for two days next month.

Seminarian Andrew Kappenhagen says, "When I applied to seminary, I was not thinking about it. I did not notice it had been planned for here. But it will be an awesome experience to be able to see him."

The 52 new seminarians, a 20 percent increase in enrollment from last year, spent Tuesday morning taking a tour of what could be their home for eight years of collegiate and theological study - one that begins with a visit from the Holy Father himself - the first pope from the Americas.

Seminarian Jose Reyes Bello tells us, "The pope is from Latin America and you can relate with him more because he speaks the language."

Once again, Action News requested to see Pope Francis' living quarters, and once again we were rebuffed over security reasons. They wouldn't even tell us which wing of the building he will be staying in.

We do know, his room will have air conditioning. And his presence will enrich the studies of these future priests forever.

Father Joseph Shenosky says, "I'm sure that they will never forget the experience of being able to welcome Pope Francis to St Charles Seminary as a seminarian."

Interest in the priesthood locally has increased threefold this year, and the Philadelphia Archdiocese believes that is directly related to the new pope.