Surprise in the wedding photos: Father Bob, the priest who married them, is now Pope Leo XIV
Heather and Dominic Jaroch were shocked to learn that the priest who officiated their 2014 wedding had been elected Pope Leo XIV.
Heather and Dominic Jaroch from Alsip, Illinois, were astonished to learn that the priest who officiated their 2014 wedding, known to them as “Father Bob,” had been elected Pope Leo XIV.
While on a camping trip, Heather received a call from her sister who told her the news of the election. They recalled Father Bob as a humble and down-to-earth individual, describing him as peaceful and joyful.
“I said, ‘Well, it’s probably just my sister telling me we got a new pope and I was like, ‘I’ll find out later once I get my cup of coffee made,’ ” Heather told PEOPLE.
“And then my phone kept on ringing and ringing, so I checked to make sure nothing’s wrong. And she’s like, ‘We got a pope! And it’s Father Bob! My husband and I just started crying immediately.”
Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, had been a close family friend since the 1980s. He flew from Peru to Chicago to officiate the Jarochs’ wedding at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, as a favour to Heather’s late father. After the ceremony, he returned immediately to his missionary work in South America.
“At the time, we didn’t know he was coming,” Heather added. “My dad was saying he had a surprise for me and it was about who was going to marry us.”
“He was so peaceful and just down to earth – just happy and fun,” Heather, a preschool teacher, remembered.
The Jarochs have since been inundated with calls and messages from friends and family, all amazed by their unique connection to the new pope. They look forward to returning home to revisit their wedding memories, now with a renewed sense of significance.
“He’s just very humble,” said local union worker Dominic, who met him for the first time on their wedding day. “And obviously, he’s liked by extremely high people in the church, because it only took them a couple days to vote him in. We can’t wait to get home and look at our wedding albums. We’ve just got to get home and check them all out.”
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