My Mother and Me: Our Journey to the Heart of Italy

By Dr. Mary Rorro

I traveled to Rome with my mother, Cav. Gilda Rorro Baldassari, and a special delegation of the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations (COPOMIAO), assembled by Judge Basil Russo. We traveled to Italy in May 2022 to foster relationships with leaders of the Republic of Italy and the Vatican. We met with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Italian Republic, Leaders of the Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies, Justices of the Italian Supreme Court, the Vatican Secretary of State, and the Pope.

We had meetings with Vatican officials behind the scenes, in areas not open to the public. As we drove inside the gate of the Vatican and were greeted by Swiss Guards, our excitement built for what was to come. Our first meeting was at the Apostolic Palace with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of Vatican City, and we were grateful to meet him to discuss shared goals. He gifted us a precious white rosary tucked into a red leather pouch, bearing the coats of arms of the Holy See and Vatican City.

On the second day, we felt fortunate to have a private audience at the Vatican with Pope Francis on a magnificent May morning. We waited in anticipation with other international groups for the Pope to arrive. A group of priests from Mexico befriended my mother and spoke with her in Spanish. Cheers erupted from faithful throngs below us, embraced by Bernini’s enveloping colonnade along St. Peter’s Square as the Holy Father emerged in a wheelchair due to mobility issues. Cameras captured the moment the Pope’s white zucchetto (cap) appeared against the cloudless azure sky and statues of the Saints perched on the colonnades.

**Dr. Mary Rorro speaks to Pope Francis at the Vatican in May.**

I did not know whether we would meet the Pope but came prepared just in case. Somehow, I found myself standing right next to Pope Francis in the Papal Chair. He turned to me, almost as if we had known each other for years, and said “Please pray for me because this is not an easy job.” I bowed my head and told him I would pray for him every day, and he flashed a benevolent smile. It was moving to witness him live his vocation despite health issues; he led by example, showing determination in ministering to his flock.

I told him I knew he loved music, as I hand-delivered my CD of viola music inside a card and brown envelope addressed to ”Papa Francesco.” I wrote that he was an inspiration to me and the world. I hope that he listened to my music, which includes pieces such as “Ave Maria,” “Ave Verum Corpus” and “Panis Angelicus.”

I felt blessed and spiritually renewed by this once-in-a-lifetime experience and I was so grateful to share it with my mother, who looked on with a sweet smile as I spoke with the Pope. It harkened back to our audience with Pope John Paul II in the Jubilee year in 2000. My mother was invited because of her position as an Honorary Vice Consul of Italy in Trenton, New Jersey. It was awe-inspiring to be in his presence, as he blessed a long line of recently betrothed couples. Between us, my mother and I have had the joy to see three Popes in our lifetimes.

**The Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations’ delegation with Pope Francis in May 2022 at the Vatican.**

I described our incredible meeting in an interview with Radio Vaticana, one that echoed my mother’s audience with Pope Pius XII decades earlier as a teenager. He instructed her to make a promise to him to learn the Italian language and explore her Italian heritage. This promise was the genesis for her memoir, aptly titled “Gilda, Promise Me.” Years after meeting Pope Pius XII, my mother gave Pope Francis her book through Cardinal Parolin at the Vatican.

I received a call from Sister Bernadette Reis shortly after arriving in Rome, a kind nun with a soothing and beautiful voice, who translates the Papal message into English, which is broadcast around the world. She put me in touch with Christopher Wells, as my dedicated interviewer at Vatican Radio. and I discussed my therapeutic work with veterans and music.

I also recounted a story about my former conductor, Maestro Matteo Giammario of the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra, and our reconnection during the pandemic. We composed 12 songs together, songs that are both spiritual and religious in nature, songs about Italy and the “Answering the Call: Meet the Moment” Suite which honors healthcare heroes who demonstrated tremendous courage and compassion in treating patients with COVID-19.

My mother’s important work in spearheading the development of the “Universality of Italian Heritage” curriculum to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture for current and future generations was highlighted during the interview. Her promise to Pope Pius XII long ago came to fruition with the dissemination of this curriculum project to educators and the community.

Sister Reis had informed me of the upcoming Canonization Mass in St. Peter’s Square and recommended that we attend this special event. We met our friend, Father Angelo Di Berardino, on the rooftop of the Augustinianum, where we had a bird’s eye view of the 140 Saints of the Colonnade observing the proceedings to welcome new Saints to Heaven. Portraits of the Saints decorated the façade of the Vatican, and chants were sung in waves by international visitors, touched by this historic occasion and the words of the Pope. “Holiness does not consist of a few heroic gestures but of many small acts of daily love,” Pope Francis decreed during the Homily. May we all seek to be the difference and change in someone’s life by these small acts of love and kindness.

An ethereal concert by the Vatican Choir was followed by a lovely al fresco evening reception on ancient Church grounds. We visited the Rome campus and students of “A Chance In Life,” an organization which assists vulnerable children, dedicated to providing shelter, education and leadership development for at-risk youth. The visit and their global mission inspired me to compose the “A Chance In Life Anthem.”

Heartfelt reunions with our beautiful family in Italy and meeting wonderful new friends who became family, were additional highlights of our uplifting and memorable trip. We will always treasure that we were able to experience these cherished moments together as mother and daughter.