On July 1, during an all-staff Mass in the Chapel of Mary, Mother of the Church, in the McRaith Catholic Center, Julie Garvin signs her Oath of Fidelity, Oath of Office, and Profession of Faith as the new Chief Financial Officer. ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC

Sorgho pastor reflects on summertime meeting with Pope Leo XIV

BY ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD, THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC

In Fr. Jamie Dennis’s experience, “you don’t just decide to meet the pope.”

Yet, his journey to encounter Pope Leo XIV on June 3, 2026, was “a trip that happened in a matter of weeks,” he said.

Fr. Dennis, who is the pastor of St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Sorgho, like many people has always dreamed of meeting the pope.

When he was studying in seminary, many of his fellow seminarians talked about wanting to visit Rome in the future so they could attend a papal audience.  

But, “as a blind person, if I was in a typical Wednesday audience, I would have heard him on a speaker,” said Fr. Dennis. “I can do that at home!”

So, he concluded, if he was going to encounter the Holy Father one day, he would need to meet him in person for it to feel meaningful.

On May 8, 2025, the first U.S.-born pontiff walked out to greet the crowds in St. Peter’s Square. Fr. Dennis reflected on the election of Pope Leo XIV – and decided that one day, he would meet the Chicago native. 

Over the next year, Fr. Dennis shared this hope with one of his parishioners, Kristi McCabe. McCabe, who has written for the online Catholic blog Where Peter Is, decided to see if she could connect her pastor with the blog’s managing editor, Mike Lewis.

Lewis, in turn, put them in touch with a cardinal’s office in Rome so that they could write letters of introduction and explain Fr. Dennis’s far-reaching goal.

“I’m a priest in a rural parish, who’s blind…” Fr. Dennis wrote.

Not long after, Rome responded with several dates that could not guarantee, but provided the chance, of Fr. Dennis attending a Wednesday audience and possibly meeting Pope Leo XIV.

“They were still not sure if a one-on-one would happen but it was ‘highly possible,’” said Fr. Dennis.

A whirlwind turn of events followed as Fr. Dennis and a small group of his friends chose a date for the Wednesday audience and booked plane tickets and places to stay – a mere three weeks out.  

“Because we didn’t know (if it would work out), we kept it hush-hush,” said Fr. Dennis. He chose to announce the news of his upcoming trip at a parish anniversary celebration of his May 28, 2016 priestly ordination.

On June 3, Fr. Dennis and his friends arrived in St. Peter’s Square and found their seats.

“A guy came up and said ‘Kristi McCabe and Fr. Jamie Dennis? You’re on the stage,’” recalled Fr. Dennis.

Then he knew his dream was becoming a reality.  

After Pope Leo arrived and gave his Wednesday audience catechesis, “he came to our row and talked to each one individually,” said Fr. Dennis. “We were last in the row. There were a lot of dignitaries, people you’d expect… and us.”

Fr. Dennis said he prefers to keep some of his conversation with Pope Leo private, but he shared that he greeted the Holy Father “on behalf of Bishop Medley, the diocese, and St. Mary Magdalene.”

“The pope listened. He was fully present with us,” said Fr. Dennis. “He was so gracious and surprised by us (being there). He wasn’t expecting a little blind priest from the middle of nowhere.”

The whole encounter lasted “all of two minutes” but “it was significant,” he said. “I can’t believe it happened.”

Following the high of the Wednesday audience, Fr. Dennis and his friends spent the rest of their trip exploring historic sites. Fr. Dennis also celebrated a private Mass in one of the side chapels of St. Peter’s Basilica, which is a beloved opportunity for priests visiting the Vatican.

At the end of the liturgy, they even joined a Corpus Christi procession out of the basilica and through St. Peter’s Square.

After the procession, his group found their way back inside St. Peter’s Basilica. And Fr. Dennis did something he likes to do when visiting any church, large or small: he sang.

“I like to sing in a space so that I can ‘feel’ the space in the acoustics,” he said. “I sang the Salve Regina, which was written by a blind monk.”

Nearly two months later, back home in Kentucky, Fr. Dennis continues to reflect on his experience, feeling “that connection” with the pope.

“I’ve come back home, back to my routine and the parish, and things are back to normal,” he said. “But things are not the same.”

Whenever he celebrates Mass and says the part of the Eucharistic Prayer, “and Leo our pope,” he is struck by the significance of that phrase, “because I’ve met him – he’s not just a name on a page,” said Fr. Dennis.

“It changes your worldview,” he said.

In speaking with Pope Leo, Fr. Dennis said he could sense that “he’s a person being pulled in different directions, and he has that weight on his shoulders. You could feel it.”

This chance encounter fills him with hope for the future of Leo’s papacy: “Pray for the Holy Father, above all. We need to pray for him.

“We have a good shepherd,” said Fr. Dennis. “I’m excited to see what else happens.”

Originally printed in the August 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.