As a member of the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity, Sister Rosalía Meza has been to Rome several times.
A highlight of her visits, always, she said, has been meeting the pope.
In 2022, Meza, senior director of the Office of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, was fortunate to be part of a group that had a 30-minute audience with Pope Francis.
And last month, she was back at the Vatican to meet Pope Leo XIV — this time as one of 27 members of a pilgrimage from the United States organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Evangelization and Catechesis.
The occasion was the Jubilee of Catechists, a Sept. 26-28 gathering of 20,000 faithful from more than 115 countries held to coincide with the 2025 Jubilee Year, which Pope Francis proclaimed as a time for prayer, pilgrimage, and pardon.
“It was a beautiful experience,” said Meza, the only member of a religious community in the group, led by Indianapolis Archbishop Charles C. Thompson. Their fellow pilgrims were lay catechists leading evangelization and catechesis efforts for adults, youth, and children in dioceses across the U.S.
“[Pope Leo is] very humble, like Pope Francis,” Meza said. “He was very present with each of us. It was very moving that he took the time to be with and learn about us.”
Another member of Meza’s group from LA was Nancy Nazarian-Medina, the San Gabriel regional coordinator for the Office of Religious Education. She brought her mother, Lucy Nazarian, a devoted catechist who has served at St. Clare of Assisi Church in Canyon Country and is now involved in family faith formation at St. Kateri Tekakwitha Church in Santa Clarita.
Nancy recalled feeling like a kid on Christmas morning as the group waited to meet the pope.
“I was filled with both excitement and anxiety,” said Nazarian-Medina, who started as a volunteer catechist at St. Clare of Assisi and served as its director of religious education before taking up her current position.
“During my daily drives from the Santa Clarita Valley to the San Gabriel Valley,” Nancy said, “I often reflect on the early disciples of Christ who traveled to spread the good news of his love for humanity. Embarking on this pilgrimage was a natural progression to deepen my commitment to evangelizing catechesis.”
Meza described the role of her ministry as “keeping the memory of God alive.”
“It’s an ongoing process — a faith journey. To continue to transmit faith to our children, youth, and adults is a very important and relevant ministry. And it doesn’t just involve the people teaching catechism, but also parents, grandparents — anyone who has influence over forming the mind of a person in the Catholic faith.”
When Meza met the pope, she introduced herself and told him about her role in the archdiocese.
“He knew about the work I am doing,” she said, “and he gave a blessing for our ministry.”
The pope told the assembled: “I want to thank you for your service to the Church. The Church is not the bishops, the Church is not the priests, but we are the Church.
“It’s so beautiful that all of us together are searching for Christ, are walking with Christ, and we become the presence of Christ in our world today, which is so important. Thank you for all that you do.”
Nazarian-Medina recalled the pope greeting everyone warmly and listening intently as the pilgrims shared their stories.
“He expressed deep gratitude for the laity’s commitment to serving and spreading the Gospel message of Christ, emphasizing that we are agents of his love,” she said.
Pope Leo then invited the group to gather in a circle and led the pilgrims in reciting the Lord’s Prayer.
“This simple yet powerful act reminded me of the many times I had prayed with catechists and families at the parish,” Nazarian-Medina said. “It reinforced the sense of community within the Church, a place where we accompany one another and seek God’s grace.”
In addition to her audience with the pope, Meza said a highlight of the trip was meeting Antonia Salzano, the mother of St. Carlo Acutis, the young Italian Catholic who was canonized as a saint a week before her delegation arrived in Rome.
Salzano has written a book about her son, and both she and her husband, Andrea Acutis, continue to speak publicly about his life and legacy.
But just as edifying as meeting the pope, Nazarian-Medina said, was the fellowship with the other pilgrims.
“We all face similar challenges in ministerial work, such as fewer volunteers, limited budgets, and declining parish staff,” she said. “Nonetheless, the fire to evangelize and catechize remains strong. Being in community with thousands of other pilgrims who serve as catechists in their home parishes reinforces the belief that God is taking care of his Church.”
Meza, who is from Guadalajara, Mexico, has taught theology at her community’s institute, the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and Loyola Marymount University. In 2017, she earned a doctorate in sacred theology from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley.
She noted that the archdiocese commissioned more than 350 catechism leaders at a ceremony in September — a number comparable to pre-COVID levels. It takes three years to become certified in catechetical, pastoral leadership, or Bible studies — the three areas Meza oversees.
When Nazarian met Pope Leo, she recalled introducing herself by saying she was “simply a catechist.”
The pope’s response?
“There’s no such thing as ‘simply’ a catechist,” he told her.
