Just four days into their marriage, Cole and Anna Stevens found themselves in the heart of Rome, standing in the shadow of St. Peter’s Basilica, waiting under the summer sun for what would become a defining moment in their journey as husband and wife. The newlyweds from Alabama had traveled to Italy for their honeymoon, but their plans took a holy detour when they learned about a unique opportunity: a papal blessing for newlyweds, offered during the general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
Why did they go? Because they were seeking more than a honeymoon photo op — they were seeking spiritual guidance. “We prayed a rosary while we were waiting for the audience [to begin] because we were in the square at 8 a.m.,” Cole said. “And the question that really came to my heart while we were praying the rosary [was] how can we deepen our faith, our prayer life inside of our marriage?” (according to CNA, June 2025).
Out of a crowd of more than 60 newlywed couples, the Stevenses were chosen to personally meet Pope Leo XIV — the first American pope — and ask him that very question.
The Holy Father’s response was warm, deeply personal, and grounded in lived experience. “First of all, it is very important to go slowly and to find the style of prayer that works for you and your spirituality,” Pope Leo replied in English. “My parents prayed the rosary together their whole lives every day,” he added. “I found that I was always blessed by their love for one another and their faith in God … It’s a wonderful thing” (according to CNA, June 2025).
How did they take this advice to heart? With genuine intention.
Back home in Pensacola, Florida, the couple embraced Pope Leo’s counsel by developing a nightly tradition of rosary walks after dinner. “At the end of the night we’re like, ‘Oh my goodness, we haven’t said the rosary. We have to say the rosary; Pope Leo told us to pray the rosary,’” Anna shared. Their solution? Walk together as the sun sets and pray side by side.
“It has been so peaceful,” Anna said. “It is usually right around sunset.” These walks have become a treasured part of their new life together. “We use it as a chance to pray for individual intentions throughout the week,” Cole added (CNA, June 2025).
What makes Pope Leo XIV’s advice so meaningful isn’t just the holiness of the moment, but its realism. “I was surprised at how real it was… It was very practical in the sense of, here’s what my parents did, and find out what works for you. … I can actually use this advice,” Cole said.
The pope’s encouragement to find a spiritual rhythm that fits their stage of life is already shaping their days. “Finding, like Pope Leo said, a way that works for you,” Anna reflected. “So for us right now with our stage of life, it’s been rosary walks. And every couple will have a different stage and life and how they can pray the rosary together” (CNA, June 2025).
Their time in Rome was filled with other holy moments. Cole held a relic of the Holy Family — cloth that had touched St. Joseph’s staff, Our Lady’s veil, and Jesus’ manger — as the pope laid hands on them and prayed. “He just entrusted us to the Holy Family,” Anna said. “And prayed over us that the Holy Family would watch over us, protect us, guide us, and lead us.”
This moment of divine blessing now lives in their memory not as a fairy tale, but as a real foundation for a Catholic marriage. Pope Leo XIV’s simple, sincere words continue to resonate, offering a timeless reminder to newlyweds and longtime spouses alike: love, like prayer, must be intentional — and it’s often as simple as holding hands and praying the rosary together under a fading sun.
Source: Catholic News Agency, June 2025. All quotes and references are attributed to CNA and the original reporting on the June 11, 2025, general audience in St. Peter’s Square.
