Brooke has been a member of the St. Francis choir for four years - in both
Concert and Chamber Choirs. She has been on the water polo team for
two years and the swim team for three. Brooke is also an Ambassador,
a member of the yearbook committee, and a member of multiple campus
clubs. She has been a Girl Scout for 11 years.
The Trip of a Lifetime
By Brooke Uhlenhop ’16
On September 23, 2015, Blessed Junipero Serra became the first Saint
to be Canonized in the United States. St. Francis was given the honor
of sending a delegation to witness the Mass of Canonization with our
Holy Father Pope Francis at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Washington, D.C. Two
student members of the delegation, B
rooke Uhlenhop ’16 & Julianna
Tanjuakio ’16, share their life changing journey.
Tuesday, September 22: We left Sacramento at 5:00am (which sounded awful but it ended
up not being so bad) for the trip of a lifetime. The anticipation of the next days kept me
awake and ready for our adventure. We flew from Sacramento to Washington, D.C. with
a layover in Chicago. Our flight from Chicago to D.C. had a lot of other pilgrims, and the
plane was buzzing with excitement. The whole time I was thinking about how I could not
believe that I was going to witness history. After we landed, got settled in our hotel rooms
and took a short rest, we were ready for more adventures. I love US history and I’ve always
wanted to visit D.C. so I was - well, we all were - super excited to go to the National Mall.
We took the Metro during rush hour and it was very stressful and scary for us first timers,
but after a few trips, we were pros at it. Our first meal in Washington D.C. was at “Love &
Pizza” and honestly it was the best pizza I have ever had. We saw almost all of the National
Mall that night. Seeing the White House and sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
were the highlights of my day. By the time we got back to our hotel, we were all so exhausted
but excited for what was to come!
Wednesday, September 23: Waking up early didn’t even phase me because it was the big
day! We went to a cute diner in Arlington, Virginia for breakfast. We arrived at Catholic
University a little bit before schedule and it was totally worth it because we ended up getting
second row seats. When we walked in, we received a bag containing the event program and
other scrapbook-worthy items, including a Pope rain poncho and water bottle! It really hit
me that we were going to see the Holy Father when we walked up the hill and the Basilica
of the National Shrine appeared before us. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!
Being interviewed by Cristina Mendonsa from News 10 was awesome, and I sent a text to
my mom right away because we watch them every night. After waiting for what felt like a
lifetime, the Pope finally arrived in his Popemobile, making his way around all the people
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