Latest news with #KielceGussie
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘It's just a beautiful time': Vatican journalist from Clay County reflects on covering conclave
Never in a million years did Kielce Gussie think her faith would take her from Middleburg, Florida, all the way to the Vatican. Reading the first reading at Pope Francis' funeral mass and reporting on the conclave are experiences she said she will never forget, and she feels truly blessed. Gussie moved to Rome in 2019 and began working for Vatican News in October as a journalist. She covered Pope Francis' papacy and was asked to read at his funeral. 'I didn't know I was going do it until a couple of days before,' Gussie said. 'And it was a big surprise, but it was a huge honor and a huge blessing because for me, Pope Francis was the first pope that I really followed.' [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Gussie was doing commentary for Vatican News when she first saw the white smoke flying out of the Sistine Chapel chimney. She said that as soon as the name of the new Pope was read, she was shocked and excited. 'We turned to each other, and we were like, 'Oh my gosh.' None of us imagined that it would be an American,' Gussie said. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Gussie said she couldn't be more grateful for the opportunity. 'It's just a beautiful time,' Gussie said. 'And it's really, it's a historical moment and I'm really happy to be here.' Gussie said she's excited to cover Pope Leo XIV's papacy and feels blessed for the opportunity. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
New York Post
26-04-2025
- General
- New York Post
Vatican News reporter Kielce Gussie calls role at Pope Francis' funeral ‘a huge honor'
American journalist Kielce Gussie learned just three days beforehand that she would be doing the first reading at Pope Francis' funeral mass Saturday. 'My initial thought was 'Oh my God' but then, after I thought, 'This is such a huge honor,' to be a part of this momentous occasion,' she told CBS News. 'Also, for me, it's such a big way to say thank you to Pope Francis.' The 28-year-old Florida native writes for the Vatican News, the news portal of the Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church, according to her LinkedIn page. She earned her bachelor's in theology at Mount St. Mary's University, a Catholic university in Maryland, and then went on to get a degree in church communication from the Pontifical University in Rome. 3 Kielce Gussie had the honor of doing the first reading at the funeral of Pope Francis. On her Instagram page @preferisco_paradiso, she describes herself as 'Bringing the beauty of the Catholic Faith to people through social media and the world around us.' Gussie actually met the pope twice — once on her birthday — and His Holiness even blessed her set of rosary beads. 'In those moments, I didn't see him as the head of the Catholic Church, I saw him as a grandfather,' she told the outlet. 'And so for me, I will remember him as someone who really cared for each person that he met.' 3 Gussie shared the news on her X page. X / @Gussie_Kielce 3 The Florida native read in front of the 250,000 mourners gathered. X / @Gussie_Kielce She read from the Acts of the Apostles, the fifth book of the New Testament, in St. Peter's Square, in front of the 250,000 mourners gathered.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
American Kielce Gussie does 1st reading at Pope Francis' funeral
American Kielce Gussie, who works as a journalist at Vatican News, did the first reading in English -- several verses from the Acts of the Apostles -- at the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday. Gussie, originally from Florida, completed her undergraduate degree in theology at Mount St. Mary's University. The university featured her in an article in March 2019, saying that she planned on incorporating her faith with media. "While in Rome, Gussie will pursue an internship with either EWTN or Catholic Bytes," Mount St. Mary's University said in 2019. "After completing her Licentiate, she hopes to continue working in Rome with a Catholic media company. Her goal is to incorporate her Catholic faith with media directed toward youth evangelization. Assistant Professor of Communication Mary Catherine Kennedy, Ph.D., is confident that Gussie will succeed. 'Kielce is a go-getter. She came to the Mount with an idea of what she wanted to pursue after graduation,' Kennedy said. She has paired her communication classes with her theology classes to pursue work in the Church. Her ambition and desire to serve others is spectacular, and I expect her to do well in her graduate studies in Rome.'" This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. American Kielce Gussie does 1st reading at Pope Francis' funeral originally appeared on
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Who is the American journalist who took part in Pope Francis' funeral
Thousands of people from around the world paid their respects to the late Pope Francis as he was laid to rest on Saturday in Italy. Among them was American journalist Kielce Gussie, who played a role during the funeral Mass at St. Peter's Square, where she did the first reading. "My initial thought was 'Oh my god' but then, after I thought 'this is such a huge honor,' to be a part of this momentous occasion," she told CBS News ahead of the funeral. "Also, for me, it's such a big way to say thank you to Pope Francis." The 28-year-old is an American journalist with Vatican News who has a Bachelor of Arts from Mount St. Mary University in Maryland and a licentiate degree in Church Communication from the Pontifical University in Rome. Born and raised Catholic, Gussie has been living in Rome since 2019, where she worked as a news producer for EWTN and Rome Reports before becoming a Vatican News reporter in October 2024. She is also a contributor to the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano. She met Pope Francis twice before his death: the first time, he blessed her rosary, and the second time, on her birthday. "In those moments, I didn't see him as the head of the Catholic Church, I saw him as a grandfather," she said. "And so for me, I will remember him as someone who really cared for each person that he met." Francis is breaking with recent tradition and will be buried in the St. Mary Major Basilica (Santa Maria Maggiore), where a simple underground tomb awaits him with just his name: Franciscus. Russian foreign minister on latest Kyiv strikes: "We only target military goals" Judge halts own order demanding Kilmar Abrego Garcia updates Watch: Full homily delivered by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re
26-04-2025
- General
American Kielce Gussie does 1st reading at Pope Francis' funeral
LONDON -- American Kielce Gussie, who works as a journalist at Vatican News, did the first reading in English -- several verses from the Acts of the Apostles -- at the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday. Gussie, originally from Florida, completed her undergraduate degree in theology at Mount St. Mary's University. The university featured her in an article in March 2019, saying that she planned on incorporating her faith with media. "While in Rome, Gussie will pursue an internship with either EWTN or Catholic Bytes," Mount St. Mary's University said in 2019. "After completing her Licentiate, she hopes to continue working in Rome with a Catholic media company. Her goal is to incorporate her Catholic faith with media directed toward youth evangelization. Assistant Professor of Communication Mary Catherine Kennedy, Ph.D., is confident that Gussie will succeed. 'Kielce is a go-getter. She came to the Mount with an idea of what she wanted to pursue after graduation,' Kennedy said. She has paired her communication classes with her theology classes to pursue work in the Church. Her ambition and desire to serve others is spectacular, and I expect her to do well in her graduate studies in Rome.'"
