Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

School children cheered and church bells rang as white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel chimney on May 8, marking the election of Pope Leo XIV. Earlier that day, Sacred Heart Model School's second- and third-grade students engaged with Dr. Michael Bratcher, a former principal and school parent, via Zoom. Bratcher was live from St. Peter’s Square awaiting the conclave’s decision.

The students questioned Bratcher about his experience when black smoke earlier signaled unsuccessful morning ballots. Later, at around 12 p.m. EDT, news of white smoke reached St. Raphael Church, prompting bell tolls as information quickly spread across the Atlantic Ocean and social media.

St. Albert the Great School students, staff, and faculty assembled in St. Albert Church to watch a livestream of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome in anticipation of meeting the newly elected Holy Father. Meanwhile, Archdiocese of Louisville employees gathered at the Maloney Center for the introduction.

As Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, addressed tens of thousands in St. Peter’s Square, cheers erupted from Catholic school classrooms throughout the archdiocese. Photos and videos circulated widely, including one showing Assumption High School students waving Vatican and American flags.