Sergi and María are a young Spanish couple. They had already taken part in Pope Leo XIV’s prayer vigil in Barcelona, but their next encounter with the pope would be unique.
They had not initially planned to go to Montserrat, but they were persuaded to go in the end. Here you can see them just minutes before the popemobile passed by.
Then the unexpected happened. Sergi wanted to hand his rosary to the pope for a blessing. But Leo XIV thought it was a gift for him and ended up keeping it.
SERGI MASOLIVER AND MARÍA SERRA
Young Catholic couple
And that’s when he took it, and of course we were delighted. We didn’t really understand what was happening, but we were absolutely thrilled. Then we saw him put it in his pocket, and that was when we said, “Wow! He didn’t hand it over, he didn’t give it to a cardinal or a secretary—he kept it himself.
But an even bigger surprise was in store fro the couple. The Pope had gone to the Abbey of Our Lady of Montserrat to pray the Rosary—and the rosary beads he used? They were the same ones in his pocket from Sergi and Maria.
SERGI MASOLIVER AND MARÍA SERRA
Young Catholic couple
At first, the Rosary had already begun and we hadn’t even thought about it. It was about halfway through the first Mystery when we said, “Hey! That’s the rosary we gave him,” you know? Then the cameras zoomed in on it. Obviously you recognize your own rosary, and it was like...what a privilege! The Pope is praying with our rosary.
Still, the story does not end there. Pope Leo stayed for lunch at the abbey, so Sergi and Maria waited vigilantly for him outside
SERGI MASOLIVER AND MARÍA SERRA
Young Catholic couple
We hoped he might pass in front of us and that we could ask him something, maybe some advice for engaged couples or something like that. Just three seconds with him. But in the end we thought, “That’s probably impossible, so let’s ask for something simpler.” Then we thought, “What if we ask for the rosary back, now that he has prayed with it?” So we considered asking for it back, but we weren’t sure: should we ask or not? Would he keep it or not? In the end we thought, “Well, let’s give it a try.”
They tried, and this is what happened...
Holy Father. Throw it, throw it. Thank you.
Mission successful. But these rosary beads have seen more than the pope.
SERGI MASOLIVER AND MARÍA SERRA
Young Catholic couple
This rosary was bought in Medjugorje. And when I went to the Holy Land, it also went through the Garden of Olives and the Basilica of the Resurrection.
As for the rosary beads, the couple have big plans for them:
SERGI MASOLIVER AND MARÍA SERRA
Young Catholic couple
If we get a call from the Vatican saying that the Pope wants it back, we’ll go to the Vatican and return it to him in person, with an audience with the Pope. But if that doesn’t happen, then we are going to use it to pray together every day, one hundred percent, for the Pope’s intentions, for the fruits of the visit, and for our family and friends.
Whether Pope Leo wants them back or not, the rosary beads will be in good hands.
