PORT ST. LUCIE | During the pope’s general audiences on Wednesdays at the Vatican, he greets thousands of visitors, but it is rare to have a personal encounter with him. A family from Port St. Lucie, recently visiting Rome, received an extraordinary gift of a blessing from Pope Leo XIV.
Fabio Improta, a Port St. Lucie police officer and member of Holy Family Parish, was in Italy with his family, and they had prayed that their 7-year-old son, Dominic, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, would receive a personal blessing from the Holy Father.
“We went to Italy to show Dominic the world, but our goal and our prerogative was to go to pray for him at the Vatican and for all the boys with this disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy,” Fabio said.
With the help of Diego Ciullo, a family friend who is an Italian native and occasional visitor to the Diocese of Palm Beach as emissary of St. Padre Pio’s relics for veneration, they were able to obtain papal audience tickets for June 11 in St. Peter’s Square.
Meanwhile, Father Tri Pham, pastor of Holy Family in Port St. Lucie, was in Rome to celebrate his 21st priestly anniversary. While in Rome, Ciullo, who is also Father Pham’s friend, told Father Pham that Dominic and his family were in Italy and wanted the boy to be blessed by the pope. Father Pham asked at the Vatican about obtaining a special ticket for Dominic, which he received.
“Dominic and myself were given the ‘golden ticket’ for me to bring the child on to the stage to receive a personal blessing and greeting by Pope Leo,” Father Pham said.
“Unbeknownst to me, I found out while I was in Italy that my son was going to be lucky enough to be blessed by the pope,” Fabio said. “I am a police officer that is constantly helping people, and I’m not used to receiving the help. I’m also constantly talking with the community and public. But when I talk about this subject, I have never felt like this before where I just can’t talk.”
He explained further: “One of the most amazing things for me was — and it’s hard to explain sometimes in words — was when my son, who was in a handicapped stroller due to his disease, Father Tri had to take him in the stroller up the ramp, and that feeling of just kind of watching him take him up there and bring him back down later was amazing.
“Seeing Father Tri with my son was breathtaking. It was a sight to see, and it was an emotional experience,” Fabio said. His son doesn’t talk very much, he said, but when he saw Dominic answering the pope’s questions with a “yes” and an “OK,” it was quite touching for the family.
Father Pham said he “informed the pope about Dominic’s condition and, before I could finish my thought, the pope asked Dominic, ‘Can I pray for you?’ Without a moment’s pause, Dominic replied, ‘yes.’”
Reflecting on the encounter, Father Pham said, “What brought me comfort in that moment was seeing the pope bend down to Dominic’s level gently placing his hand on his head as he prayed for him.” Pope Leo had “truly connected with Dominic, sitting beside him in his stroller, speaking to him and offering his prayers.”
Fabio said, “I feel that this was a blessing beyond words, and I really believe that it was meant for him to meet the pope. I had this feeling for a very long time and this thought in my head that this had to happen. I prayed and I prayed for it to happen, and it happened.”
Describing that special moment, he added, “The amount of hope and faith this one moment has achieved for our family is immeasurable. We have prayed and prayed for this moment, and to see our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, kneel to Dominic’s level and bless him has left us at a loss for words and feeling truly blessed and grateful.”
For information on Holy Family Parish, visit www.holyfamilyccpsl.com or call 772-335-2385.
