A local family on vacation in Rome had a special encounter with the Holy Father, as the pontiff blessed their two young girls in Saint Peter’s Square.
Two-year-old Mariangel Rosales and her 10-month-old sister, Mariam, from Saint Gabriel the Archangel Parish in Carneys Point, were picked out from the crowd after a Mass last month.
As Pope Leo XIV approached them on the Popemobile, their parents (Arely Hernandez and Eduardo Rosales) reached over the barricade to get the attention of the pontiff’s personal security. Obliging them, the men carried the girls to the pontiff, where he imparted a blessing over them both.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Arely Hernandez, noting that while the two children were fussy before going before the pontiff, by the time they returned to the family, “they were calm and quiet.”
The children’s siblings Skylie and Eduardo were also part of the family’s visit to Rome, as was their grandmother, Rosa Trejo; grandfather, Hugo Hernandez; and Father Carlos Lopez, parochial vicar of Saint Clare of Assisi, Swedesboro.
“It was an exciting moment for our family,” Hernandez said. “I’m grateful for the pope.”
at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen”
