Martha Hernandez-Sandoval has always held Pope Francis in high esteem: his ability to unite people of all backgrounds, his many acts of charity and humility, his uplifting messages to the masses.
“I have no doubt that Pope Francis had a direct dialogue with God,” said Hernandez-Sandoval, 61, a parishioner at Holy Angels in Vernon. “All those messages from him, those can only come from God.”
But her connection with Francis took a surprise turn in 2021, when she sent him a copy of a children’s book she helped create. To her surprise, the pope’s staff responded with a thank you note assuring her of the pope’s prayers.
“I didn’t think I would receive a response,” she said. “People send thousands of items to the pope. It showed me that God does answer prayers.”
In 2015, Hernandez-Sandoval led a children’s ministry group at Holy Angels when she felt called to have the kids write a book to help lead other children to Christ.
The idea — which she says was “planted” in her heart by God — was asking her students to tell biblical stories to their peers through their own words and drawings.
“I thought it would be great if the children could tell other children, in their own words, how God was working in their lives at their young age as a way to share with other children about the living God that lives in their hearts,” she said.
The kids worked on the bilingual book, titled “Es Tiempo de Sembrar” (“It’s Time to Sow”), for about 18 months, said Hernandez-Sandoval. Through tamale sales and other fundraisers, the group raised $8,000 to print 1,000 copies.
“I told them, imagine if just one child reads the book and then shares it with their neighbor, and their neighbor shares it with another neighbor — it can go all over the world,” she said.
After the book was completed in 2016, the book and its authors were celebrated during a large festival.
“They were so excited to finally receive their books in their hands, you could just see it in their faces,” she said, holding back tears. “That was the best recompense.”
But there was one little wrinkle. Hernandez-Sandoval had promised her students that she’d send a copy of the book to Francis. She didn’t know how she was going to do it, but she knew she had to keep her word.
Years passed, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and her cancer left and returned. But in 2021, she finally got the chance to present the book to the Holy See when her friend announced that she’d soon be having an audience with Francis.
Hernandez-Sandoval grabbed an envelope, filled it with a letter about the project, two copies of the book, and her personal testimony of faith, and passed it along to her friend.
“Your humility, your actions, your prayers, your love for God and for your neighbor, make you the marvelous human being that you are and show us clearly your direct relationship with God,” she wrote.
Her friend successfully handed the package off to a member of the pope’s team, and about three weeks later, Hernandez-Sandoval received a reply from the Vatican in the mail.
The letter said that the pope had received her letter and her book, and in turn, was bestowing upon her an apostolic blessing and graces to help her continue to be a witness for Christ.
Hernandez-Sandoval was overjoyed.
“When I received the letter and the blessing from the pope after he’d received the book, it was like this project was an even bigger gift, and it was even bigger proof that we have a living God,” she said.
Reflecting on the years she spent overseeing the project and finally getting the book to the pope, she called it “a mission complete.”
The children who wrote the book are now teenagers and young adults, Hernandez-Sandoval said, but she hopes the faith lessons they learned years ago remain strong in them.
“I’m happy about the work that we did with the kids because they now carry in their hearts that seed of faith,” she said. “They will always feel that God is accompanying them.”
Today, her cancer has returned for a third time and has spread to her bones. She said she is seeking solace in her faith, her supportive family, and her relationship with God.
“Why would I be scared of anything if I have him?” she said. “I have a peace in my heart that only God can give.”
Hernandez-Sandoval said her connection to Francis was strengthened after she received the letter from the Vatican. She said she was saddened to hear that his health was declining in recent months and frequently thought about him and prayed for him, especially because she knows what it’s like to be sick.
Hernandez-Sandoval said she hopes the next leader of the Church will pick up where Francis left off, uniting people and enjoying an intimate relationship with God.
“He leaves behind big shoes to fill,” she said. “I hope that they select someone who will also be a messenger like Pope Francis.
“I hope he is truly a representative of God here on earth. Just like Pope Francis was.”
