In 2010, newly installed Archbishop of Miami, Thomas G. Wenksi, made a pilgrimage to Rome to receive his pallium — a special woolen stole — from Pope Benedict XVI. The pallium is conferred only once and only to new archbishops. Shortly after covering his installation, I was sent to the Eternal City as an embedded photojournalist with the pilgrims to provide memories for the Archdiocese of Miami and news photos for The Florida Catholic, Inc. We visited various holy sites and all the major basilicas during the trip.
The pilgrims who joined the archbishop got a special and extremely rare opportunity: to say Evening Prayers inside the Sistine Chapel. Even rarer still was the permission to photograph such a special time in such a renowned place. Following that was a private reception in a courtyard of the Vatican Museum.
