Two weeks before Pope Francis was hospitalized on Feb. 14, Sandra Miley, parishioner at St. Cajetan Catholic Church in Denver, found herself shaking his hand.
The surprise opportunity arose in August 2024, when Miley and her sisters received an invitation to a private audience with Pope Francis on Friday, January 31.
“My sisters and I did not know what to expect,” she told the Denver Catholic.
They began planning their trip and made their way to the Eternal City, only to be floored by the incredible, unexpected privilege of meeting the Holy Father.
“It became evident the day before we were scheduled to meet the Holy Father, Pope Francis, how personal and intimate our audience was going to be. After receiving specific instructions and information about what the private audience would entail, my sisters and I spent the rest of the day in silence, each praying, discerning and asking God, ‘Why me?’,” Miley recalled.
The day was punctuated by a private Mass with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, in La Clementina Chapel in the underground grottoes of St. Peter’s, which is believed to be the site of St. Peter’s crucifixion.
In such proximity to St. Peter and his successor, Miley said she couldn’t help but get emotional.
“Everything about it was surreal and celestial,” she said. “While seated in the chapel, waiting for Mass to begin, I couldn’t control my tears. I kept asking God, ‘Why me, Lord?’”
Following Mass, Miley and her sisters were brought to their audience with Pope Francis, an experience so moving that Miley could hardly describe it.
“I could hear and feel my heartbeat. The emotion of joy was too much to contain. With the look of his eyes, I felt his warm embrace. The delicate warmth and softness of his hand made me feel as though it was not our first encounter; more as if he were happy to see me again. I felt God’s presence,” she shared. “I felt as if Pope Francis could see through me, and there was nothing I could do for him to love me more or love me less. He greeted me as a father would greet his child. I understood in that moment that God had chosen me to be there. If this is what home feels like, I look forward to eternal life. Every day since my encounter with the Holy Father has made me yearn for the day that I am with my Heavenly Father.”
Not two weeks after her “celestial” experience with the Holy Father, Miley and the rest of the world were informed of Pope Francis’ hospitalization. With bated breath and flowing tears, she, her sisters and Catholics worldwide watched and prayed for their spiritual father throughout his month in Gemelli Hospital in Rome.
Now that Pope Francis has been discharged and is on the mend, Miley finds herself grateful for his recovery, for the opportunity to have met such a spiritual father, and for the chance to do so again this summer.
"Prayers are powerful when we pray for God’s will to be done," Miley said. "I am grateful to God and to everyone around the world for their prayers! Let us continue to pray for Pope Francis’ strength and full recovery during this Jubilee Year of Hope. I am looking forward to seeing Pope Francis again in June as part of a group of pilgrims traveling with Bishop Rodriguez, Monsignor Jorge de los Santos and Father Matt Magee. My hope is to continue my renewal as 'Pilgrim of Hope.'"
