Deacon Hjalmar B. Gudjonsson of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis served alongside Pope Francis during a special Mass for grandparents and the elderly on Sunday, July 23, at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Among his several duties as “deacon of the altar,” Gudjonsson incensed Pope Francis and the concelebrants, cardinals, bishops and priests and the estimated 15,000 faithful present at the Mass. He also prepared the principal chalice and held it up alongside Cardinal Kevin Farrell during the consecration.
Gudjonsson, who completed his seminary formation at The Saint Paul Seminary in the spring, was graced by the invitation to serve Mass as one of the two deacons alongside Pope Francis.
“It was a great honor to have represented the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis at the papal altar in Rome. I was touched by the big numbers of grandparents and elderly who attended the Mass but also by the very beautiful sermon of Pope Francis.” — Deacon Hjalmar B. Gudjonsson, The Saint Paul Seminary
“It was a great honor to have represented the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis at the papal altar in Rome,” Gudjonsson said. “I was touched by the big numbers of grandparents and elderly who attended the Mass but also by the very beautiful sermon of Pope Francis.”
More than 8,000 grandparents and elderly from across Italy were present to celebrate the Church’s third World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. Pope Francis expressed in his homily a desire to be unified with the elderly and grandparents in our lives.
“Let us not forget our grandparents or the elderly, for so often we have been lifted up, gotten back on track, felt loved and been healed within, all by a caress of theirs,” Francis said. “They have made sacrifices for us, and we cannot let them drop down the list of our priorities.”
Gudjonsson now returns to Church of the Assumption, St. Richard Catholic Church and St. Peters Catholic Church in Richfield, Minnesota, where he is serving during the summer months. He will spend his final year of formation in a local parish, anticipating priestly ordination next spring.
“I am looking forward to coming back to the Cities and serve the people in Richfield where I recently begun to minister as deacon,” Gudjonsson said.
