A Pope’s blessing –maybe a miracle

17-year-old Peter Srsich returned from a canoe trip suffering from chronic fatigue and a cough, and his family thought he might have pneumonia. The teen was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkins lymphoma when doctors discovered a large tumor on his lungs. He underwent rounds of chemotherapy that left him feeling depressed and questioning why he was going through such an ordeal. Although he had a strong a faith and already felt called to the priesthood, in his hospital bed he was reluctant to receive the Communion. To make his mother happy, he received communion from one of his friends, who also told him ‘Peter, I know this is hard. I’m not going to take the suffering away from you, but I’m going to walk with you through it.'” The Make-a-Wish Foundation, reached out to Srsich. Rather unusually for a youngster, Peter wished to go to the Vatican and see the Pope. In May 2012 his dream came true. Srsich, who traveled with his family, didn’t think he’d actually meet the pope. 

Pope Benedict XVI blessing Peter Srsich.

They went to St. Peter’s Square to see Pope Benedict XVI address the audience. The Srsich family were then asked to queue up to actually meet the Pope. Benedict XVI spoke to Peter and as he later shared: “He looked at me and said, “Oh, you speak English?” and put his hand on my chest right where the tumor had been, even though I had not mentioned it to him. The blessing is usually on the head.” Peter also took the time to explain his story to the pope, and explained that he wanted to become a priest and asked for Benedict XVI’s blessing. While some people believe the pope’s blessing worked miracles, Peter saw it somewhat differently; “Chemo helped me fight the cancer. Make-A-Wish helped me fight the chemo. Knowing the Pope was in my future helped me get through that, and in a small, non-miraculous way, helped cure my cancer.” And nearly a decade after his meeting with the pope, Peter Srsich was able to have a further wish come true. After God’s continued gentle calling, the 6′ 6″ former lacrosse player was ordained a priest in May 2021 for the Archdiocese of Denver. After a brief assignment in a Denver parish, he is now studying in Rome for a licentiate in Biblical Theology.