When they booked their flights to Italy in December, the group just planned to visit friends.
Instead, for several hours Wednesday, they watched history unfold.
Mike Ruane, 21, of Moosic, along with Paul Byrne, 21, and Jake Rowland, 21, both of Dunmore, planned their trip to Rome to see friends studying abroad before news of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation had been announced.
"We were extremely lucky to be here during one of the craziest weeks Vatican City experiences during elections," Mr. Ruane, a student at Temple University said, when reached in Italy via email this week.
The crew waited for almost three hours for smoke to rise from the Sistine Chapel chimney on Wednesday evening, indicating whether a pope had been chosen.
"Although it was pouring rain and we didn't have umbrellas or rain jackets, none of us wanted to leave the square," said Max Conway, 20, of Scranton, who is studying abroad in Italy.
"People had their eyes glued to the Vatican just waiting for the smoke to be released," Mr. Ruane said.
It could have easily been black smoke, announcing no decision.
But it wasn't.
"We were standing in the center of the square when it was released and as soon as we saw it was white, everyone ran toward the Vatican steps," Mr. Conway said.
After white smoke billowed, a sign that a pope had been elected, another hour passed.
"Four hours of waiting may seem like a long time, however we all agree that we would have waited 20 hours if we were guaranteed the same experience that we had the other night," Mr. Ruane said. "We all wanted to be in the square for the announcement because it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Mr. Conway added: "Also, my family would have been really upset with me if I missed a historic event such as this."
As they waited along with their other friend studying abroad, Adam Schroth of Moosic, Mr. Ruane described a relaxed but anxious atmosphere.
"It took a couple of seconds before people even cheered or did anything of the sort, however once people realized that a new pope was chosen, the crowd was more excited than you can ever imagine," he said. "Many chants started in all different languages and people began waving the flags of their countries with the hopes that the new pope would be from their homeland."
None of the local visitors had a particular cardinal in mind, but they were rooting for an American selection.
Mr. Conway said one of the most powerful moment's came when Pope Francis asked the crowd to be silent.
"There were over 100,000 people in the square, but at that moment, all you could hear were the fountains that run in the square," he said.
The group agreed that it was well worth the rain and the wait.
"There is a good chance that our new pope may serve for a very long time and the chances of us being present for such an unreal experience ever again are very slim," Mr. Ruane said.
Contact the writer: rbrown@timesshamrock.com, @rbrownTT on Twitter