18 December 2025 · 2025-12 newsletter
By Bernard Toutounji – NSW Family Branch
On 11 October 2025, I had the privilege of joining my fellow national directors of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) from around the world for a private audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican.
It was an extraordinary day — full of history, warmth, and the quiet joy of standing before the successor of St Peter.
Inside the Apostolic Palace
The setting itself carried a sense of history: frescoed ceilings, polished marble floors, and the presence of the Gentlemen of His Holiness, lay attendants in black tails and white waistcoats who have assisted popes for centuries.
When Pope Leo XIV entered the room, there was no fanfare — just a warm smile and a blessing. He spoke about the importance of religious freedom, describing it as “the cornerstone of any just society,” and thanked ACN for supporting vulnerable Christian communities worldwide. His encouragement was simple and powerful: “Do not grow weary of doing good.”
A Gift from Home
Knowing I would meet the Holy Father, I wanted to bring something that represented our part of the world.
The Pope needs no gifts, of course, but I felt it important that something from Australia and New Zealand — from our benefactors and families — be placed into his hands.
I chose a painting of the Three Sisters in the Blue Mountains, not far from our ACN national office in Penrith.
The artist, a Western Sydney local, was delighted his work would travel to Rome. I added a box of Haigh’s Chocolates, and a handmade card from our children, filled with their drawings and prayers.
I was also carrying a large wooden crucifix that I hoped to have blessed for our home shrine.
When my turn came, I presented the gifts one by one. The Pope recognised the Blue Mountains immediately, smiled broadly at the chocolates, and took genuine interest in the children’s card.
Then I turned to receive the crucifix. “Holy Father, would you bless this for our family chapel?” I asked. He looked at its size with a gentle laugh, placed his hand upon it, prayed silently, and blessed it. That crucifix now hangs in our home shrine, The Ark, where it has become a central focus of our family’s daily prayer.
A Schoenstatt Reflection
Although I was there for ACN, the Pope’s words resonated deeply with our Schoenstatt mission consciousness — the call to live our covenant apostolically and to contribute, in small and faithful ways, to the renewal of Church and world.
I carried his Apostolic Blessing home with gratitude: for our benefactors, for our Schoenstatt Family, and for all who labour quietly to keep the faith alive.
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