Making his first visit to Archbishop Carroll on Thursday, Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Pérez toured the school, met with students, presided over a school Mass — and granted the school a day off this semester.

During the Mass, Archbishop Pérez told the student congregation: “Never, never, never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit working in you, through you, and despite you.”

He also reminded the students that their baptism was the most important day of their lives.

After the Mass, students from Saint Katherine of Siena, Saint Katherine School, and Carroll asked the archbishop some questions in a panel discussion that was recorded in the school library. The Carroll students who asked the archbishop questions were seniors Rebecca Wallgren, Khair Dixon, Domenic Venini, and Alexxa Hepburn-Rose.

In response to the questions, Archbishop Perez told the students they need to pray often and go to Mass to nurture their faith. He urged Carroll students to “stay strong, stay faithful, and be loving people.” He also said that he copes with the pressure of his job by indulging in Tastykakes.