WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Sister Maximilian Marie Garretson with Bishop Reicher High School took a group last month to Rome, Italy to see and interact with The Pope — having a connection to him forever back here in Central Texas.
They received his signature on a school banner.
- Pope Francis, head of the Catholic church, is undergoing medical issues
- The group at Bishop Reicher High School traveled to Rome Jan. 2025
To hear the full story and to see a photo of Pope Francis' signature on these Central Texas high school students' banner:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It’s a special experience that a special group at Bishop Reicher will never forget.
“I was just really delighted for the students were excited to meet The Holy Father,” said Sister Maximilian Marie Garretson, Theology teacher at Bishop Reicher High School.
This past January, Sister and theology teacher Maximilian Marie Garretson took 37 students and 15 adults on a pilgrimage to Rome to explore the history and see The Pope.
"Two years ago, we applied and were awarded a $100,000 grant for pilgrimage and it had to be with the Eucharistic revival theme, which was national movement a few years ago," Sister Garretson said.
"The greatest gift I thought I could bring these students to Italy on a Eucharistic miracle pilgrimage culminating in Rome."
Being able to interact with him first hand, and taking an invaluable piece of this experience home to Central Texas.
“When we go there, we had the last kind of 15 seats on the aisle, which were way in the back, but if you’re on the aisle, you know that when the Holy Father exits, there’s a chance of actually meeting him and shaking his hand,” Sister Garretson said.
“The students decided to hang that (the banner) over the barricade — and not only that, they decided they were going to ask for the Holy Father to sign our banner — he came down the isle and walked right past them."
“He actually tells the security guards to stop and he says ‘Take me back, take me back' — he’s taken to the students who are hanging the banner and they go 'Will you sign our banner?' and he said 'Yes' — they had a little exchange and the students were so excited."
Now with Pope Francis’ health in question, the signatures written and memories made carry a little more weight perhaps than before.
“Popes come and go, but I think that really made it personal and solidified that the ship has a captain and is guided by our Lord — I think this maybe gives a little stability,” Sister Garretson said.
