Pope Francis talks with Chicago students during virtual visit to U.S.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago student sang to Pope Francis Monday during the pontiff's virtual visit with people in three American cities.

ABC7 Eyewitness News spoke exclusively with students who were part of the event hosted by ABC News.

About 150 local students and parents got the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as Pope Francis held a first-ever televised virtual audience. In a surprise visit, he spoke simultaneously with people in Los Angeles, McAllen, Texas, and at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood.

"I was so nervous and we were talking and I started crying because of the nerves," said Valerie Herrera.

It's an experience Herrera says she will never forget. The 17-year-old senior at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School had a chance to speak with Pope Francis one-on-one, and in response to her story, he asked her to sing.

She said she learned the song, "By you, Mary," years ago in choir and it's the first song that popped into her head.

Alexandria Vazquez also got to speak directly to the pope. She describes the experience as surreal.

"It's just like kind of one of the things that you can't put into words," Vazquez said. "It's just a moment when you kind of have so many emotions that you can't really explain it. It was just really awesome. I mean, it's the pope."

The virtual visits in Chicago and in other parts of the country are the pope's way of connecting with the faithful ahead if his historic trip to the United States.

He told ABC News David Muir in the Vatican: "For me it is very important to meet with all of you the citizens of the United States. You have your history, your culture, your virtues, your joys, your sadness, your problems like everyone else. That's why this trip is important, for me to draw close to you, your path your history."

Students say the experience is one that will forever impact their lives.

"He also spoke a little bit of English, but when he spoke in Spanish, he put so much passion to his words. He was, like, blessing us," said Crosby Estrada.

Most of the students learned Monday morning of their special guest. ABC News anchor Tom Llamas got to break the news.

"I started joking around with them and I said, 'Oh it's going to be Justin Bieber,' and it was like crickets," Llamas said. "I was like, 'It's going to be Kanye West.' Crickets. I said, 'Oh it's going to be the Pope,' and they went berserk. And it was amazing. You can tell that they're very close to God, very Catholic and all of them when they saw him for the first time on camera, they erupted in cheers. It was great."

The school was notified late last week of this historic opportunity. President Antonio Ortiz says he was astonished to learn the pope hand-picked his school.

"He specifically asked to speak to Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago and the Pope's Jesuit and this is a Jesuit school and one that started here in Chicago 20 years ago," Ortiz said. "A very unique model that has been replicated around the country."

After Monday's historic visit, students here will have a story to tell for generations to come.

"Him being from Latin America, he's like the first that represents us," Daniela Rodriguez said. "My parents are from Mexico so from Latin America. So it was very nice to see somebody in the big world like representing us and him speaking Spanish which is something I do too. It was so emotional to see him talk Spanish and talk back to us in Spanish. I was speechless the whole time."

A special edition of the ABC News magazine 20-20 entitled "Pope Francis and the People" will air Friday at 9 p.m. on ABC7.