Staff at Church of the Ascension in Fountain Hills was glued to a livestream last Thursday morning when white smoke billowed from the chimneys of the Sistine Chapel—signaling the election of a new pope.
With parish priest Fr. Jilson Panakkal currently on vacation in India, guest priest Fr. Milton Jacob has been serving the local congregation during his sabbatical from St. Lawrence Basilica in Santa Croce sull’Arno, in the province of Pisa, Italy.
Fr. Jacob was on his way to the Franciscan Renewal Center in Paradise Valley when he heard the news. He hadn’t expected the decision so soon.
