A suburban Chicago couple’s unforgettable connection to Pope Leo XIV

When Heather Schmit-Jaroch and her husband Dominic Jaroch were camping, a surprising call from Heather’s sister changed their day forever. The news? The man who married them in 2014—known to them as “Father Bob”—had just been elected Pope Leo XIV.

“I thought it was just my sister saying we got a new pope, so I told her I’d check after coffee,” Heather recalls. But when the calls kept coming, she finally realized, “It’s Father Bob! We just started crying.”

Back on July 19, 2014, Robert Prevost—before becoming Pope Leo XIV—traveled from Peru to officiate their wedding at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel in Chicago. This special favor was for Heather’s late father, Ed Schmit, who had a close friendship with Prevost.

“We didn’t even know he was coming. Dad said he had a surprise for me about who would marry us,” Heather said.

The ceremony was intimate, with around 75 friends and family. “Every time we talk about it, we cry happy tears. I wish my dad could have seen this—he was good friends with Father Bob,” Heather shared.

Dominic laughs, still amazed: “What are the odds? I got married by the pope! I just wish he had stayed for the reception. Maybe we could’ve had a couple of drinks together.”

Since the news broke, their phones haven’t stopped ringing. “I’m not famous,” Dominic says, “the pope is famous!”

Pope Leo XIV, raised in Chicago suburbs and a longtime missionary in Peru, was made cardinal in 2024 and elected pope swiftly in 2025. The couple remembers him as humble, peaceful, and down-to-earth.

“We can’t wait to get home and look at our wedding photos,” Dominic says. “This moment is something we’ll never forget.”

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