Alum Fulfills Dream of Meeting Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City

A bold idea to celebrate a Massachusetts school’s 60th anniversary turned into a visit with Pope Leo XIV for Marilena Martucci

Key Highlights

• Marilena Martucci ’00 met Pope Leo XIV after months of determination and outreach.
• She presented the pope with a handmade book created by students at Blessed Sacrament School.
• Martucci credits SHU’s Catholic mission with shaping her faith and leadership.
• The visit created a lasting connection between her students and the Vatican.

Sacred Heart University alum Marilena Martucci ’00 had an inspiration during preparations for a school anniversary, and that idea became the experience of a lifetime—and it built a lasting connection between hundreds of students and the leader of the Catholic Church.

As principal of Blessed Sacrament School, a pre-school through eighth-grade school in Walpole, MA, Martucci was planning its 60th anniversary gala when she proposed an ambitious idea. She recalled thinking, “We should send the pope an invitation to the gala. Well, maybe he can send a blessing.” The idea evolved into a plan to meet the pope in person and seek his blessing for their landmark celebration. 

While others laughed at the suggestion, Martucci never stopped believing it could happen. “Everyone thought I was joking,” she said.

Martucci began reaching out to anyone she thought might have a connection to the Vatican. “If they had any association with the pope, they got an email from me,” she said. “I was calling everybody.”

Her persistence eventually paid off.

Through the help of Bishop Robert Reed, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston, Martucci received tickets to meet Pope Leo XIV during a trip to Vatican City. “I felt like Charlie Bucket with the golden ticket,” she said.

To represent the entire Blessed Sacrament School community, Martucci arranged for students to contribute drawings, prayers, poems, and letters for the pope. She carefully compiled each submission into a handmade book, creating a gift that reflected the faith and creativity of the school’s students.

When she arrived in Rome and the long-awaited meeting with the pope arrived, Martucci and Pope Leo XIV flipped through the students’ book together, giving Martucci the opportunity to explain the gift personally. She said the pope exceeded every expectation. “He was lovely,” she said. “He is everything that you would think he is. He was funny, kind, humble, loving.”

For Martucci, the encounter was deeply personal. “I think this [was] the greatest moment of my life—and I’m married with kids,” she said with a laugh.

Yet, what made the experience most meaningful wasn’t the opportunity to meet the pope herself. It was what the visit represented for the students back home. Following the visit, the school received a handwritten thank-you from Pope Leo XIV for the students’ gift, as well as his blessings to the Blessed Sacrament community.

“Ultimately, the visit made the connection between the Vatican and the students and this school real,” Martucci said. “He knows them by name now. To be able to give these kids that connection is powerful.” She added, “To be able to go through life knowing that the pope has something they made—that’s something the kids will never forget.”

Martucci credits Sacred Heart University with helping shape both her faith and her approach to educational leadership. A psychology and religious studies major, she said the University’s Catholic mission remains central to the way she leads her school today.

“Being in an environment that was faith-based and Christ-centered—every event was centered around that,” she said. “That connection was always there. In what I do now, I make sure that connection is there for our students.”

She also found something else at Sacred Heart that has shaped her life—love. SHU is where she met her husband, Jason Martucci ’00. They now have three sons.

More than two decades after graduating from Sacred Heart, Martucci said she remains grateful for the University’s continued growth and enduring commitment to its Catholic identity.

“I’m really proud of how Sacred Heart has grown,” she said. “In today’s world, we all have this faith in common.”
For Martucci, what began as an idea became a reminder of what can happen when faith is paired with perseverance.

Through one determined journey to the Vatican, she not only fulfilled a dream but also created a lasting connection between her students and the universal Church—one they will carry with them for years to come.

Vatican City, March 22, 2026

To: Marilena Martucci, Principal
Teachers and Students
Blessed Sacrament School, Walpole, MA

Dear friends,

Many thanks for the beautiful letters you sent to me. They are a beautiful expression of what it means to be a part of one big family, in the Church, united with Jesus our brother and our Savior.

As Easter approaches, I send you my Apostolic blessing and an assurance of my prayers.

Please remember me in your prayers.

God bless you all!
Leo PP. XIV