VATICAN CITY—Three days after her 22nd birthday, Marianne Holland received a special gift from Pope Francis.
After the pallium Mass on June 29 in St. Peter’s Basilica, Marianne began videotaping the procession as the pope and the 34 archbishops who had earlier received their palliums walked along the middle aisle of the church.
Standing with her brother, Joe, near the end of their row of chairs, Marianne couldn’t believe what happened as the pope neared her.
“When he was walking out, he looked right at me and gave me the sign of the cross,” said Marianne, her excitement radiating in her eyes and her smile. “I could be biased. He could have been looking at the crowd. I just felt very blessed.”
The member of St. Simon the Apostle Parish in Indianapolis paused, smiled brilliantly again and added, “It was the coolest experience of my life.”
The experience of Marianne—who was also with her parents, Michael and Dolores Holland—reflected the emotional reactions shared by many of the 80 pilgrims from the archdiocese who made a pilgrimage to Italy with Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin from June 25 to July 2.
Click on the link below to read about reactions from other pilgrims about the pallium Mass where Archbishop Tobin received his pallium—symbolizing his leadership of the archdiocese—from Pope Francis.
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