As late as mid-September, Marian Pope had no idea she was going to be in Rome in less than a month with 51 other Catholics from our diocese.
Parishioners of the Basilica of St. Andrew, Roanoke, including Pope’s parents, David and Jennifer Brugh, had been planning the trip to Italy for almost a year with Father Kevin Segerblom, rector of the basilica.
The parish pilgrimage was organized with a principal stop in Vatican City to give thanks to the Holy Father for designating St. Andrew as a minor basilica, a title granted last year by the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of Sacraments in a letter dated Sept. 6, 2023.
The trip began Oct. 14, as the pilgrims departed Washington, D.C., for Rome, and concluded Oct. 24 in Venice. In Rome, the pilgrims met up with Bishop Barry C. Knestout; Father Michael Boehling, vicar general; and Father Matthew Kiehl, vicar for vocations, who were visiting seminarians at the Pontifical North American College.
“I knew my parents were going on this pilgrimage – they had this set up since last Christmas,” said Pope. “In 
September, they called me, and my dad offered me his spot. He said he had been in prayer. I talked to my husband, and he said, ‘Absolutely, you should go.’”
Pope lives in Idaho with her husband, Liam, with whom she attended Franciscan University of Steubenville, graduating last spring. The couple is expecting their first child next March after getting married in May at the Basilica of St. Andrew.
Ultimately, another pilgrim dropped out of the trip, and David Brugh was able to attend with his wife and daughter. At the papal audience Oct. 16, during which Father Segerblom presented Pope Francis with a medallion as a gesture
of thanksgiving, Marian Pope received a surprise from the pontiff: a blessing for her son in the womb.
“Father Boehling was in front of us with Father Segerblom and Bishop Knestout. And as the pope was walking by, Father Boehling said, ‘Bambino bambino,’” recounted Jennifer Brugh.
“Pope Francis waved me forward and said, ‘When arrive?’” recalled Pope. “I said March. And he placed his hand on my stomach and prayed for a bit, and then gave me a thumbs up.”
As she took in the scene, said Brugh, “I’m pretty sure every woman in the group was crying, including me.”
Father Segerblom summed up the feeling of the group during the papal audience: “Someone said, ‘I have to pinch myself; I almost don’t believe I’m here.’”
It was just the beginning of a journey that saw Father Segerblom shepherd his flock through San Giovanni Rotondo, Assisi, Siena, Padua, Florence and Venice, praising God at every stop along the way.
‘The central experience’
Upon arrival in Italy Oct. 15, the first order of business for Father Segerblom was to say Mass for the pilgrims at the Basilica of St. Andrew of the Valley in Rome.
“With that being the first Mass after traveling for 24 hours, it was very moving … celebrating the Mass in this beautiful basilica,” said Father Segerblom, who noted the significance of starting the trip at another Basilica of St. Andrew.
“We tried to bring our thanksgiving and our petitions on this pilgrimage and really believe that God will answer our prayers,” he added.
Over the following eight days, daily Mass was at the heart of the journey.
“The central experience … was the opportunity to celebrate Mass with our pastor, Father Kevin, and with Bishop Knestout, in amazingly ornate and grand basilicas, but also in small, tight, humble chapels,” said Larry Levy, Basilica of St. Andrew parishioner.
Levy added that one of those spaces, the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, helped broaden his understanding of evangelization.
“It enabled me to see the historical purpose of a church building beyond simply a place for Sunday worship, but also as a destination for pilgrimage, a shrine, a location for celebrating smaller Masses or even priests celebrating individual Mass,” said Levy. “The architecture itself witnesses to its purpose.”
“It helped me gain an appreciation for the reason we build churches, and the way a church building itself can evangelize,” Levy continued. “I’ve seen that at the Basilica of St. Andrew as well.”
Other stops included the four major basilicas in Rome: St. Peter, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls; San Giovanni Rotondo, the home of St. Padre Pio; the original church in Assisi rebuilt by St. Francis; the Basilica of San Domenico in Siena, where St. Catherine of Siena once worshiped; and the Basilica of St. Mark in Venice, where the Evangelist’s tomb is located.
Brugh said that she felt at home in the Italian countryside.
“The Apennine Mountains traverse the middle of the country. We ended up crossing over those to get from Rome to San Giovanni Rotondo on the Adriatic,” she said. “A lot of us were saying the countryside looks familiar – mountains, farms, rolling hills.”
Among the tight corridors of Siena and Assisi, the plazas of Florence and the canals of Venice, there is another reason Brugh and her fellow pilgrims felt a sense of comfort.
“Our Church’s foundations are … right there,” she said. “It is home away from home.”
For Pope, Assisi brought back memories from her time at Franciscan University.
“From the moment we got there, I saw in my soul this familiarity, which was really crazy because I’ve never been to Italy,” said Pope. “But the more I was there, the more I thought that the friars at Franciscan [University] must do a lot to make that little piece of Ohio feel like Assisi.”
“It was peaceful, beautiful, and there was a lot of joy,” she continued. “It wasn’t super crowded – it felt like we were resting in Assisi, even in the midst of hurtling around as tourists.”
“We also got to see St. Francis’ tomb and pray there,” she added. “It really made me think about my time at Franciscan [University] and all the gifts that God offered me there, especially through Franciscan spirituality.”
Bringing blessings home
On Oct. 24, Father Segerblom said Mass for the group at the hotel in Venice, and the pilgrims returned to Washington, D.C., via Amsterdam.
Reflecting on the experience, said Levy, gives him “an appreciation for the importance of our faith and worship in our daily lives.”
“The celebration of Mass being the focus of the day, you can’t really ask for much more than that,” said Brugh.
Now back in Idaho, Pope was thrilled to be reunited with her husband. The burdens of her pregnancy, she said, are easier to bear with the knowledge that God is in control – and that her son has been blessed by Pope Francis.
“This is my first time pregnant, and it reminds me that any future children we have are totally God’s,” said Pope. “No matter what happens … I don’t need to worry.”
— D. Hunter Reardon, The Catholic Virginian
‘Rare and treasured moments’
At the time of the papal audience with the pilgrims from the Basilica of St. Andrew, Roanoke, Oct. 16, Bishop Barry C. Knestout had the chance to shake hands with the Holy Father. This was the third time Bishop Knestout has met Pope Francis.
“All three encounters were a special grace. Any meeting with the Holy Father is a rare privilege and a spiritual blessing,” Bishop Knestout shared.
He said the pope’s first language is Spanish, so they were not able to converse with one another. The bishop introduced himself briefly in English and “expressed gratitude and prayerful support” for the Holy Father.
Despite the language barrier, Bishop Knestout said the pope “has always been friendly and joyful. He also always shared with me a few friendly words of greeting in English.”
The bishop described the excitement and joy as overwhelming as Pope Francis made his way toward their group in St. Peter’s Square that day.
“Opportunities to be so close to the Holy Father are rare and treasured moments,” the bishop added.
— Lily Nguyen Dunkle, The Catholic Virginian