About a year ago, Pope Leo became the first ever American pope, and with his roots in Chicago, some of his biggest fans are in the Windy City. At Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy, that connection has grown into something far more practical than admiration.
The students there are no ordinary fans. A year ago they went viral with their own version of a papal election, a re-enactment that earned them the nickname the conclave kids and took on a life of its own well beyond their classroom.
That moment opened a remarkable door. The viral version of the conclave led to an invitation from the Vatican and a trip to Rome to meet the real pope. For the children, going on stage and having the pope shake their hand was, as one of them put it, really, really cool.
Back home, the excitement has settled into a regular commitment. The pupils formed a club called Team 14, named because Pope Leo is the 14th pope to take that name, and about 40 students now meet every month to carry out his mission.
This month that mission was about feeding the hungry. The children formed an assembly line to tally up boxes of food, including vegetables, soup and pasta, that their school and parish had collected for a food pantry on the city's West Side that is counting on the donations.
Leading the effort were fifth graders Cameron Smith and Augie Wilk, who kept their classmates moving as the boxes piled up, urging them to go faster and carry more. They said they were doing it because a lot of people go hungry, and because it was the pope's mission for the month.
For the conclave kids, the lessons reach beyond a single food drive. Asked what it takes to be a pope of the people, they pointed to being kind, respectful and humble, qualities they are trying to live out one box at a time.