Andreas Widmer , clinical assistant professor, business, and director of entrepreneurship programs, was featured in an Omaha World-Herald story on his path from Papal Swiss Guard to faithful businessman. See below.

A handshake from the pope led former Swiss Guards member to learn the business of faith

From: World-Herald  Date: March 4, 2016 Author: Steve Jordon

... The speaker was Andreas Widmer, a member of the Swiss Guards at the Vatican for two years and now director of entrepreneurship programs at the Catholic University of America.As a young man, Widmer said, he assumed a "tough guy" persona partly because, at 6-foot-9, he was good at it and partly because he was the youngest child in his family.But inside, he said, he was "7 years old, and I loved my mother." When his first official duty was being a solo guard for the papal residence on Christmas Eve 1986, he "cried like I've never cried before" because he missed his family and his comrades.When Pope John Paul came out of his residence to go to midnight Mass, he shook Widmer's hand, asked his name, looked at his reddened eyes and said, "Of course, this is your first Christmas away from home, isn't it?"The pope said he would pray for him, and from that moment of individual recognition, Widmer grew more devoted to Christianity. ...

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