All eyes were on Rome this week as the Holy Father offered his final blessing to the faithful, and cardinals from around the world gathered in advance of the papal conclave. Through it all, Jesuit scholastic Mike Rogers, who is studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, has had a front row seat for a week he will never forget.

Rogers, a New England Province Jesuit, was missioned to study in Rome in 2010. As all of his classes are taught in Italian, he studied the language for three months before beginning theology classes. On June 8, he will be ordained at Fordham University in New York. He has been enthusiastically sharing his impressions of the Pope’s final week in Rome with friends and family around the world and spoke today with National Jesuit News. Click here for the audio interview with Mike Rogers.