Fr. Robert Gendreau said it does not take long for people to realize that there is something special about Cardinal Francis Leo.

Reminiscing about a dinner he once hosted nearly 20 years ago to celebrate the consecration of Our Lady of Consolata Parish in Montreal, Gendreau said the guest of honour, the then Apostolic Nuncio Luigi Ventura, was charmed by his assistant pastor.

“After chatting during the meal, what I realized afterwards was the nuncio discerned, in Frank, something very special,” said Gendreau in an interview with The Catholic Register at the Canadian Pontifical College. “He was not known at all at that time by anybody.”

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Within just three months of that meal, there was an opening with the Diplomatic Relations with the Holy See and Leo, 35 at the time, was recommended for the job. He was first assigned to studies at the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome and then the Apostolic Nunciature in Australia and served there from 2006 to 2011.

Gendreau cherished his years in partnership with Leo. The latter’s Italian background appealed to the demographics of the parish — all Masses but one were celebrated in Italian — and he knew how to attract people and grow the congregational ranks.

In the days leading up to the Papal Consistory on Dec. 7, admirers and supporters of Leo praised his talent for meaningfully connecting with the younger people sitting in the pews. Gendreau has spent time reflecting on this ability and has concluded why he is gifted in that department.

“He takes care of the young people, is warm to them and makes a connection that is great,” said Gendreau, who belongs to the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross. “But I suspect through all these wonderful, warm relations, he had one idea in mind: Sunday I want you at the Mass. This is where he was speaking to them. Strongly, and they were amazed by him.

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“He knew what they needed to know, and he knew how to tell them. His devotion and love for the Church and Mother Mary was so real and genuine.”

His aspirational oratory from the pulpit would be complemented by an effortless charm and loving nature at coffee after Mass or during special parish potluck dinners on a Saturday night.

Leo’s entry into the College of Cardinals marks the second time Gendreau is attending a Papal Consistory. In 1988, he was present to witness the man who ordained him, the late Paul Grégoire, the Archbishop of Montreal from 1968 to 1990, elevated into the cardinalate.

While admiring the reverent and solemn ceremony in St. Peter’s Square where the new cardinals profess their vows and are adorned with investments, he particularly cherished the meet-and-greet afterwards in the Vatican palace.

“I remember the friendship between members of the Church...the late (Pope Benedict XVI, Joseph) Ratzinger passing by,” said Gendreau. “The family of the Church was all there and there was not too much protocol.

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After the interview, Gendreau, with visible emotion on his face, expressed gratitude for Leo being sent to the Church in Montreal, Toronto, Canada, and now, Rome.

“I want to thank the Lord. It is an immense gift and we have to pray for him. For me, it’s kind of a little dream. The Kingdom of God has come closer to us.”