Vincent LeVien and his family had planned a spiritual journey to celebrate the canonization of a teenage saint. Instead, they found themselves in the heart of Vatican City, mourning Pope Francis’s death with hundreds of thousands of others.

“We wake up the morning of April 21 and… my phone’s blowing up 6 a.m.,” said LeVien, director of external affairs for the Diocese of Brooklyn. “I realized that Pope Francis had passed away. And obviously, me and my wife had a difficult decision. Do we continue going on our trip, now completely changed, or do we cancel it?”

The family – LeVien, his wife, and their two children, ages 13 and 11 — chose to continue.

“As a Catholic, I was upset because Pope Francis was our Holy Father, but he was also someone I had the honor to meet four times over the years, including when he came to New York for his Apostolic visit in 2015,” LeVien told amNewYork. “We felt that it was the right thing to do is to continue going. Obviously, we didn’t know what we were going to go into when we got to Rome, but it winded up being a very spiritual trip.”

They were originally invited by Archbishop Sorrentino of Assisi to attend the canonization of Carlo Acutis, a 15-year-old from Italy known for his deep devotion to the Eucharist and his use of technology to share his faith.

LeVien had a personal connection to the Acutis canonization. In 2022, he worked closely with the Archbishop of Assisi to bring the teen’s relic on tour through churches in New York, an experience he said deeply moved both children and adults.

“I saw firsthand the touch of the impact that it had on not only children, but everybody,” LeVien said. “People were very emotional when they were able to visit the relic… Something I’ve never seen.”

But the canonization was postponed with the death of Pope Francis, and instead, the LeVien family found themselves among hundreds of thousands who traveled to Vatican City to honor the late pontiff.

“It became a very spiritual trip,” LeVien said. “We visited Assisi, celebrated Mass at Carlo Acutis’ tomb.” Having worked closely with Vatican staff in his role with the Brooklyn Dioceses for the last 14 years, LeVien said they were incredibly honored to receive tickets to attend the funeral of Pope Francis. 

He described the funeral as a moment of global unity and quiet reverence, with more than 250,000 people in attendance—including world leaders, clergy of many denominations, and young Catholics from around the world.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” LeVien said, recalling being amongst the mourners who gathered on April 26 for Pope Francis’ final “grand goodbye” outside St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. “There were no arguments, no problems—just people coming together in peace to say goodbye.”

A moment that stuck with him was when a Bible was placed on Pope Francis’ casket at the end of the service. “There had been no wind all day, but suddenly the pages began to turn,” he said. “By the end, the Bible had closed. You can believe in faith, or destiny, but it was powerful.”

LeVien also had a close connection to the late pontiff, having met him four times during his papacy. He helped coordinate Pope Francis’ 2015 visit to New York, where he said the pope’s humility and compassion left a deep mark on everyone he encountered – from dignitaries to schoolchildren.

“He never treated anyone differently,” LeVien said. “Whether it was a president or a homeless person, he treated them all the same – with love.”

As a father, LeVien said experiencing the funeral with his children, ages 13 and 11, reinforced important lessons about faith and continuity.

With the papal conclave now set for May 7, LeVien reflected on Pope Francis’ legacy and what may come next.

“He opened doors – welcomed people back to the Church,” he said. “It’ll be interesting to see whether the cardinals continue in his direction, or take another path.”

And for the Long Island man personally, one phrase from Pope Francis will always resonate. “Each time I met him, he said: ‘Pray for me,’” LeVien said. “That humility – coming from the Pope – was something I’ll never forget.”