Last year when Pope Benedict shocked the world with his resignation, three Villanova University students who were interning at the Vatican became witnesses to history. Last week on the one year anniversary, we asked them to recall the day that Pope Francis was elected. Today, we asked them to write about the the day Pope Francis was installed during a celebratory mass on March 19, 2013. The following post is from Sean Hudgins, who worked with the Vatican's social media team.

A year ago today Danielle McMonagle, Lauren Colegrove and I set our alarms for 4:45 a.m. so that we could get an early jump on the crowds that would be flocking to the Vatican. With a 35 minute bus ride to the Holy See, hours ahead of us waiting for press access, the installation mass itself, and a TV interview scheduled after the event, this was going to be a long day. What’s more, even with our press passes, it wasn’t going to be easy getting a good position atop the colonnade for Pope Francis’ historic installation mass, arguably the most high-profile mass St. Peter’s Square had seen in years.

• Read Danielle McMonagle's Recollection of Pope Francis' Installation Mass

I met the girls at their apartment and we groggily headed to the bus stop. With no time for our morning cappuccino e cornetto, we had to rely on our excitement to carry us through. It wasn’t caffeine, but I’d argue that the prospect of witnessing history unfold brought just as much of a jolt. Once we got on the number 23 bus, we quickly realized that the buses had been rerouted that day to avoid the numerous streets that had been closed off in preparation for the mass. Worried that we would be late, we hopped off as close as we could to our usual stop and made our way to the already bustling St. Peter’s Square.

Throngs of spectators, both Catholic and otherwise, canvassed the city streets, carrying with them signs, photos, flags, and any other items they could bring into the Square to show their support for the new pope. Amidst the multicolored sea of supporters, there were pockets of the crowd dressed entirely in dark black or blue; groups of priests and nuns who had made the journey to the Vatican alongside the general public to witness this moment of Catholic history in the making.

After showing our press credentials, with the boldly printed "STAMPA" emblazoned next to our faces, to several waves of Roman police and Vatican security, and having our backpacks and camera equipment thoroughly searched, we made our way to the line of reporters, journalists, photographers, and film crews that had come from all over the world to cover the event. We all gathered in a nervous huddle under a temporary elevator that had been latched on to the side of the colonnade specifically for the installation. (Riding this thing was like a thrill ride at the sketchiest amusement park. It creaked, rattled, shook and generally felt like it could come crashing down at any minute). When we finally did arrive at the top and exited the rickety elevator, we dashed to the railing and began setting up shop. Even atop one of the holiest Catholic structures in the world people still had jobs to do, which meant that we had to be aggressive about securing and maintaining our spot so that we could get the shots for the website.

When Pope Francis finally emerged in the Popemobile the crowd erupted. Suddenly the audience looked like a multicolored fabric-sea as Catholics from around the world represented their countries by waving their native flags. Others showed their excitement with a range of different behaviors; everything from screaming to praying, while other groups simply chanted "FRAN-CES-CO" with everything they had, over, and over, and over again.

It was incredible to see the level of respect and praise Pope Francis was able to draw, especially since few people really knew much of anything about him at the time.

After snapping off hundreds of pictures and compiling segments of video that we would need to go back and edit for News.va, the mass was finally coming to a close. Pope Francis had left the alter, but the "Viva Papa" chants carried on through the square and flowed through the crowds which were now pouring away from the Basilica and out into the bustling Via della Conciliazione.

Monitoring your heart rate could one day be as simple as sending a text message, scrolling through Instagram or playing another round of Candy Crush thanks to two brothers from Montgomery County.

Jack and Charlie Giammattei, of Swarthmore, Pa., created Monitor.Me – a case that tracks your pulse while you hold your smartphone.

"We have a scale at our house and I never use it," said 31-year-old Charlie, the founder of the Conshohocken-based medical data collection and analytics firm, MedTrak Inc. "I figured with a lot of pulse tracking stuff, I’d never use that unless something was already tracking it."

So Charlie teamed up with his 29-year-old brother Jack, who contributes to large-scale software deployments at Vanguard, to create the Monitor.Me prototype over the course of two days in February as part of Philly Codefest, a two-day programming competition.

"We thought if we could make it so you didn’t have to do anything to collect your heart rate that could be really valuable," Jack said.

Similar products are already in development, but this is the first to collect a person's heart rate passively.

"You don’t have to open an app," Jack said. "Whenever you pick up your phone for anything, it could be checking your heart rate."

The brothers, who graduated from Strath Haven High School, spent a combined 60 hours creating the product, which detects the pulse through a sensor about the size of a dime. Using infrared light, the sensor captures changes in blood volume in a person's finger. The information collected by the sensor is then sent to hardware, called an Arduino board, which translates the data into an understandable format. The final product shows up on a computer screen as an electrocardiogram.

They designed the current prototype's hardware and software, but are still working on a final model that would bring them together in the phone case.

“The sensor could be embedded into the plastic case and the [hardware] could be shrunk down like a battery,” Jack said.

“Our vision is the sensor would be embedded in a spot on your phone where your finger naturally slid on to the sensor as you were talking,” Charlie added.

While there are plenty of commercial heart rate monitors available to consumers, most are geared towards tracking one’s fitness.  

“The most useful portion of [Monitor.Me] is its ability to detect atrial fibrillation,” Jack said.

An estimated 3.5 million Americans suffer from atrial fibrillation – a heart rhythm disorder associated with palpitations, shortness of breath and chest pain.

Plus about 25 to 30 percent of strokes are due to this condition, said Dr. David Callans, associate director of electrophysiology at the University of Pennsylvania Health System. 

“We love monitoring,” Dr. Callans said. “And we’d love to have monitoring when the symptoms are actually happening. This is a way to increase the likelihood that happens.”

Since the sensor is collecting information based on light, the developers had to create safeguards so data would not be collected while the phone was sitting on your coffee table, sunlight streaming through the window hitting the sensor.

“One of the first things we did was write all these filtering algorithms so it didn’t register you as dead when you were not holding your phone,” Charlie said.

Despite the results, Charlie and Jack know Monitor.Me still has a long way to go.

Making the phone case attractive and affordable, yet still effective, along with securing a person's personal health information are a few of the things that would need to be addressed, they said.

Dr. Callans, who is excited about the product’s potential, also hesitates to declare the technological advancement a complete success.

“The diagnostic accuracy has not been field tested. There will be transmissions that fool people,” said Dr. Callans, who added that can be an issue with medical monitors currently in use.

The volume of data – Monitor.Me provides a reading 500 times per second – can also be difficult to sort through if patients are sending it to their medical providers at random intervals, he said.

“It has to get into the right hands in close to real-time,” he said.

Regardless of the refinements needed, Charlie and Jack say their next step is to patent their innovation – that one’s heart rate is monitored while the smartphone is being used for another function.

“That would probably be the most prudent way to take the idea to another company and have them take the reins,” Charlie said. “That would be the most realistic way for this to get to the market quickly.”

And Dr. Callans looks forward to its arrival.

"If we can develop the systems around it, it would be monitoring people whenever they felt like they needed it," he said. "It is technology that people can carry around with them."

Contact Alison Burdo at 610.668.5635, alison.burdo@nbcuni.com or follow @NewsBurd on Twitter.

A suspect is in custody after a triple shooting left two people dead and another injured in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania Wednesday night.

Police say a gunman opened fire near a home on 422 Meixell Valley Road, striking three people.

Two people were killed in the shooting while a third person was hurt. The surviving victim was taken to the Pocono Medical Center. Police have not yet revealed that person's condition.

Officials say the shooting stemmed from a dispute between neighbors and a suspect in the shooting was taken into custody. They have not yet revealed the suspect's identity.

Saylorsburg is the same town where a gunman opened fire during a town hall meeting last summer, killing three people and injuring several others.

Stay with NBC10.com for more details on this developing story.
 

Last year when Pope Benedict shocked the world with his resignation, three Villanova University students who were interning at the Vatican became witnesses to history. Last week on the one year anniversary, we asked them to recall the day that Pope Francis was elected. Today, we asked them to write about the the day Pope Francis was installed during a celebratory mass on March 19, 2013. The following post is from Danielle McMonagle, who worked with the Vatican's social media team.

Habemus Papam!

I slowly reached over and grabbed my tiny Italian flip phone sitting on my dresser as the all-too familiar ringtone blared. It was 5 a.m. The plan was for Sean to come and meet Lauren and I outside our apartment as we did every Monday through Thursday. We were leaving at 6:30 a.m., two hours earlier than normal. This was huge for me, as I am actually the world’s worst morning person (seriously — just ask Sean or Lauren). But putting my sleep needs aside, the real reason I would remember this day was because I would be witnessing history. On March 19, 2013, I watched the installation mass of Jorge Mario Bergoglio: Pope Francis: the 266th pontifex.

• Read Vatican Intern Sean Hudgin's Recollection

When I found out I would be working as a student intern at the Vatican, I knew I would be having a memorable experience, but I certainly cannot say that I thought I would be witnessing history. I began work at the Pontifical Council for Social Communications the day after Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would be resigning, something that hasn’t happened in more than 500 years. The next few months, the eyes of the world would be on the Vatican.

I would not only have the privilege of working as an accredited member of the press for Vatican News and contributing content to their social media pages, but I would also witness the historic retirement of a pope, and the election and installation of his successor. I was there on top of the colonnade structure in St. Peter’s Square alongside press from all over the world as Pope Benedict XVI had his final public audience as pope. I spent hours standing in the rain in the middle of St. Peter’s Square with pilgrims from all over the world until white smoke finally appeared in the sky and the beloved Pope Francis was introduced to the world.

While experiencing these incredible events, I was posting about them, sharing photos and other content on the Vatican News Facebook page, read and viewed by thousands of followers all over the world. I was also interviewed in numerous national and international news publications and interviewed on live television, sharing my experiences as a "Vatican Intern."

Now I was going back to St. Peter’s Square again this morning, as I did many mornings during my semester in Rome, but knowing that today was different. Once again, Sean, Lauren and I were standing on top of the colonnade, surrounded by photographers and journalists from around the globe. The 5 a.m. wake-up call was vital to getting a good spot.

We watched, as this largely unknown man from South America was installed as the leader of 1.2 billion Catholics and would shortly become one of the most recognizable men on the planet. I stood along with a crowd below of thousands, including government officials like Vice President Biden, members of the clergy, Catholics, non-Catholics, tourists and people of all backgrounds and nationalities gathered to this square and listened to the words of this one man.

I have to say Pope Francis’ overwhelming humility and kindness were evident immediately. Not only did he point out the importance of being a leader and protector in a humble quiet way, but also called on leaders and those with major economic responsibility to join him in protecting not only others but to “keep watch on ourselves”.

I struggle to capture in words the excitement that was created in the square that day. I saw a sense of happiness and hopefulness that was truly moving and awe-inspiring.

Later that day, Sean, Lauren and I did a live interview on the Today Show with Matt Lauer. As we recounted the installation mass and days leading up to this, I stood back and looked up at the majesty that is St. Peter’s Square and soaked it all in.

• The Villanova Vatican Internship blog

A man was arrested on Wednesday for allegedly killing two women 25 years ago.

On March 17, 1989, Philadelphia Police responded to a report of a rape in progress on 15th and Thompson streets.

When police arrived, they were directed to an Oldsmobile that was in a lot with several abandoned vehicles. When they opened the car, they found the body of 19-year-old Ruby Ellis inside.

Investigators determined she had been strangled and beaten.

On April 23, 1989, shortly before 8 p.m., police responded to a report of a body inside a bar on the 1200 block of West Girard Avenue.

When they arrived, officers realized the bar had been burned out and vacant for several months. They then found a decomposed body on the second floor of the building.

Investigators say the victim, later identified as 33-year-old Cheryl Hanible, had a shoe string tied around her neck and a sock stuffed in her mouth. Investigators determined she died from ligature strangulation.

The two murders sparked an investigation that spanned over two decades. Investigators say that a Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) revealed a positive match for both murders with a convicted offender in Georgia. Investigators later determined that the suspect had a home in New Jersey.

Homicide detectives later contacted the suspect, identified as 51-year-old Rudolph Churchill of Paulsboro, New Jersey. Police say they obtained another DNA sample from Churchill and determined he was responsible for the murders of Hanible and Ellis.

Churchill was arrested on the 1400 block of Fairmount Avenue on Wednesday. He is charged with murder and other related offenses.
 

A suburban Philadelphia man was arrested on Wednesday after he allegedly sent a birthday card laced with ricin to the boyfriend of his ex-girlfriend.

• READ: RICIN: WHAT IS IT?

Nicholas Todd Helman, 19, was arrested on Wednesday at his home on Byberry Street in Hatboro. It was the second time he had been arrested this month in connection to the ricin-laced card, according to investigators.

Back on March 7, Helman allegedly told his co-worker at a Target store in Warrington that he had sent a scratch-and-sniff birthday card laced with ricin to a man who was dating his ex-girlfriend.

Ricin is a poison found naturally in castor beans and can cause injury and even death if chewed, inhaled or swallowed. Helman allegedly told his co-worker that he rubbed ground castor beans onto the inside of the card before sending it to his intended victim's mailbox on Olive Street in Warminster.

Officials say Helman claimed the substance would kill anyone who came into contact with it within four days.

Helman's co-worker called police and Helman was taken into custody.

Helman allegedly told police he coated the card with sodium hydroxide in an attempt to scare his ex-girlfriend so that they could reconcile their relationship. Helman also allegedly sent threatening messages to his ex and her new boyfriend in November of last year, according to investigators.

Helman was charged with harassment and later released on bail.

Police say they warned the intended victim and his family not to open their mail. They then removed the envelope from the home.

Investigators later tested the substance on the card and determined that it was ricin.

A hazmat team, SWAT team, police officers and officials with the FBI returned to Helman's home on Wednesday. After a standoff that lasted several hours, Helman was led out of his apartment and to a police vehicle by officers clad in armor and hazmat gear.

He was arrested and charged with attempted murder.

Officials searched through Helman's home for any traces of the substance but determined that the scene was safe and clear.

A friend of Helman, who did not want to be identified, says he was shocked when he learned of the allegations against him.

"I really couldn't imagine him doing something like that," he said. "I've known him since Middle School. He was an odd kid. I would say he wasn't always the most social kid. He was very tech savy. He was probably the smartest kid I've ever known but he never really applied himself."

With his second arrest in one month, the friend says he hopes Helman can turn his life around.

"I know you can come out of this," he said. "I know you can." 

Police have identified a man who was arrested and charged with threatening passengers on a train and then attacking a SEPTA police officer.

Police say Steven Mason, 40, of the Germantown section of the city, was on a SEPTA Broad Street Line subway train around 2:50 p.m. on Monday.

While on the train, Mason was allegedly belligerent and began threatening and motioning towards a female passenger with a small newborn baby.

Witnesses tell police another woman stepped in and pushed Mason away, protecting the mother and her baby.

Investigators say Mason then began to threaten the other passengers.

"Passengers were alerted because there was a man on the train saying that he had a gun and he was threatening to shoot passengers," said Steven Harold, SEPTA's inspector of operations.

After the train stopped at the Fairmount Station, Ronald Jones, a 5-year veteran with the SEPTA police force, confronted Mason and led him off the train and onto the platform.

That's when Mason allegedly began to attack Jones, grabbing for the officer's gun in the process.

"My thought was that either the man is going to get shot or the officer is going to get shot," said Riley Ross, a local attorney who witnessed the fight. "We could all get shot."

After Mason fell, Ross and another man rushed to help restrain him as Jones recovered. Investigators say Mason then got up again, returned to the train and tried to grab the child of another passenger but was unable to do so. More officers then responded to the scene. Mason was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital where he remains in police custody.

"It was that kind of mob psychology," Ross said. "I think everybody was waiting for somebody to do something. Once someone jumped in, other people came in and helped."

Mason was arrested and charged with aggravated assault on police, disarming a law enforcement officer, terroristic threats and other related offenses.

Harold thanked Ross and the other passenger for their bravery.

"The first two passengers that came on were outstanding," Harold said. "We thank you for it."

Police also thanked the woman who initially protected the mother and her child on the train, though they have not yet identified her.

Officer Jones was not seriously hurt during the ordeal. SEPTA Police say however that he lost his badge and cell phone during the fight and are asking anyone who finds the items to return them.

Credit: SEPTA Police

One of the most beloved area traditions returns with spring today as area Rita's Italian Ice locations give out free water ice.

The 22nd Annual First Day of Spring Celebration normally draws long lines to Rita's locations throughout the Philadelphia region as people yearn for a taste of spring -- even if the temperatures make it still feel more like winter.

“We are excited to celebrate... and welcome our guests to enjoy their first taste of spring on us,” said Rita’s Chief Executive Officer Jeff Moody.

This year, an iconic candy is getting the water ice treatment from the Trevose, Pa.-based business.

“We invite everyone to come try our new STARBURST® Cherry Ice, enter our photo contest and ‘Tweet Your Treat’!”

Rita's social media push includes asking water ice fans to post "First Taste of Spring" photos to the company's Instagram (@RitasIce) and Twitter (@RitasItalianIce) accounts with the chance to win a free year of water ice. Even if you miss out on free water ice you can still enter the contest since it runs through midnight Sunday.

Click here to find the nearest Rita's to you.

Rita’s, isn’t the only company giving it away for the first day of spring.

Area Dunkin’ Donuts stores are giving away a free cup of coffee to customers with the mobile app.

In honor of City 6 schools St. Joseph’s and Villanova playing in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, the doughnut shop is holding a “Philly’s in, You Win” promo.

Any coffee lover who has the app will see a coupon for a free 14-ounce hot coffee or 24-ounce iced coffee.

"As an official partner of six local teams, we wanted to do something special for the passionate college basketball fans in our region as the postseason begins," said Dunkin' Brands field marketing manager Lou Conte. "We congratulate our Philly area college partners for an exciting season and we wish St. Joe’s and Villanova the best of luck as they continue on through March."