During Holy Week, Sister Mary Feigen met Pope Leo. She attended a Palm Sunday liturgy with Blauvelt Sister Ellenrita Purcaro, whose brother, Arthur Purcaro, is an Augustinian and a longtime friend of Pope Leo’s. Afterward, Sister Mary Feigen joined their family group for a private audience with the Pope.
“After mass, he came in very casually and he kind of laughed and said, ‘I’m Pope Leo,'” Sister Mary recalled. “He was amazing.”
Pope Leo spent one hour and forty-five minutes with the group. They chatted, and he offered them a tour of rooms of the Vatican, including the Sistine Chapel and the Room of Sorrows.
“He told us all about the rooms and the history of the rooms. He was very easy to be with,” Sister Mary said. “I thought, ‘This is the man. This is what he was like before he was elected Pope, and he stayed the same.’ He was very personable, very pleasant. He entertained whatever we had to say for as long as we needed. You felt a connection of everybody in the room with him.”
One of the couples in the group renewed their wedding vows kind of privately with the pope. Pope Leo then gifted everyone beautiful pearl rosaries.
When Sister Mary talked with Pope Leo directly, she thanked him for bringing hope and love into our world in a special way.
“I am so proud of him and his speaking out on immigrants and the poor and how to treat each other,” she said. “He’s being vocal on things that are important and moral. He’s not holding back. I think he’s a very strong figure in our church right now and in our world.”
“I felt like there was a peace and comfortableness with himself that was so evident,” Sister Mary continued. This was a highlight of this part of my life for sure. It was awesome, it was amazing, it was beautiful.”
