When Fr. Damian Day, O.P. was a student at Providence College, he studied abroad in Rome, like many other students do.
But what most students don't do while studying in Rome is have a personal encounter with the pope, or discern a religious vocation. And even fewer of those get to repeat the experience more than a decade later.
But Fr. Day is hardly ordinary. The 31-year-old assistant chaplain at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island — his alma mater — recently led a pilgrimage of fellow alumni to Rome. And while he was there, he managed to once again briefly meet, and swap zucchettos, with the pope.
"I stood on a chair and kept calling 'Holy Father! Holy Father!' We made eye contact," Fr. Day told Aleteia via text message on Wednesday, June 18. "I was waving the zucchetto, so he saw it, and smiled."
A zucchetto is the skullcap worn by the pope and other members of the clergy. Only the pope wears a white zucchetto.
Initially, the popemobile kept going past, said Fr. Day, but Pope Leo XIV pointed at him and directed the car to stop.
"Then I handed [the zucchetto] to him through one of the security guards, and told him we were from Providence College. He smiled and said 'Ah, Providence!' I told him Providence College loves him," said the priest.
Leo XIV is an alumnus of Villanova University, which plays in the same athletic conference as Providence College. Providence College is the only university administered by the Dominican Friars in the United States.
Pope Leo XIV put the zucchetto on his head "for a moment of prayer," and then returned it to Day "with a smile and a wave," he said.
Pope Francis to Pope Leo
When Day was a junior in college, back in 2013, he had a very similar experience with Pope Francis — a brief encounter with a zucchetto trade.
With Pope Leo, a native English speaker, communication was easier compared to Pope Francis, Fr. Day told Aleteia.
"For me, it was a particular blessing since my time in Rome as an undergrad helped me decide to become a Dominican priest. To return again, now as a priests, and interact with the Holy Father — and a Holy Father who is also a friar — was quite a unique blessing on my priesthood and religious life," he said.
Augustine and Dominic
Day has a particular devotion to St. Augustine, whom he described as "one of my favorite saints," so having a pope who is also an Augustinian brings him "a great joy."
"St. Augustine is known as the Doctor of Grace, and St. Dominic as the Preacher of Grace," said Fr. Day. "And this was a moment of grace for me, who hopes to be like them."
Plus, the shared collegiate connection was an added bonus.
"Since he went to Villanova, he certainly knows about Providence College," said Day. "It's crazy to think we've got a pope who knows about Big East basketball."
