FARGO — When Maria and Justin Irish visited the Vatican in early January, they joined several couples who hoped Pope Francis would bless their marriage. But the couple, who married July 12, 2024, at St. Paul’s Newman Center in Fargo, had a special request. Wearing her wedding dress, Maria Irish held an ultrasound image of her unborn child, hoping to show the pontiff a photo of the baby conceived in October.
The tired-looking pope saw the photo and his face brightened with joy, Maria Irish said. ADVERTISEMENT “It was the best moment ever,” she said. “His eyes crinkled, and it was like this joy just came into him.” Pope Francis blesses Justin and Maria Irish's unborn child Jan. 8, 2025, in the Vatican.
The pope also blessed their marriage. Contributed / Maria Irish Pope Francis held the photo before having Maria Irish stand up so he could put hands on her to bless the marriage and the baby, she said. He asked the name of the child, but the couple said they didn’t know because they were waiting until the child was born to find out the child's sex.
“He looked into my eyes and he said, ‘I will pray for your baby,’” she said. “I knew from the bottom of my heart that he would pray for us. It was just a really beautiful experience.” Maria Irish, who moved recently from Fargo to Bismarck with her husband, was one of several people who shared with The Forum stories about their interactions with Pope Francis.
The pontiff, who led the Catholic Church for 12 years, died Monday, April 21, a day after blessing a crowd in St. Peter’s Square on Easter. His funeral was held Saturday, April 26. Liz and Ryan Jones and their 6-month-old son, Gilbert, are pictured on Thursday, April 24, 2025, in their home in north Fargo.
Anna Paige / The Forum The news surprised Ryan and Liz Jones, of Fargo, they said. The pope also blessed their marriage in August 2023, just days after they said their vows to each other at Sts. Anne and Joachim Catholic Church in Fargo.
Still, they said they had a sense of hope for Pope Francis, knowing he died after giving a homily to his people on Easter Sunday about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. ADVERTISEMENT “It’s a tremendous beauty,” Liz Jones said. “I think it’s a word that captivates how we feel because what we’re made for is not this.
What we’re made for is heaven, and the hope that we have for heaven is what Pope Francis was talking about the day before he died.” 'Sense of joy' Ryan Jones had planned their honeymoon trip to Rome before they got married, but the idea of having the pope bless their marriage didn’t come until after the flights and hotels were booked, Liz Jones said. She said she wondered about whether that was possible. After doing some research, they found out they could meet the pope on Aug. 9, 2023, the day after they were set to land in Rome, she said.
The Joneses married on Aug. 5, 2023, rolled their wedding attire up tightly into their backpacks and headed to Europe, she said. A photo hangs on the wall in the home of Liz and Ryan Jones. The Fargo couple met Pope Francis, who blessed their marriage, in 2023 in Rome just days after they were married.
Anna Paige / The Forum Soon they were sitting with other couples, Ryan Jones wearing his suit and Liz Jones in her wedding dress. The excitement of being with other couples, waiting for Pope Francis to bless them all, was contagious, Ryan Jones said. "There also was a sense of joy," he said.
“Part of it is just being married, and then to be with Liz and to have that experience together and be able to share that,” he said. As the couple sat in their home with their 6-month-old son, Gilbert, Liz Jones described the experience with Pope Francis as transcending time and place. She noted that her grandparents met Pope John Paul II.
ADVERTISEMENT “It was really cool for me growing up seeing the pictures of grandma and grandpa with the pope and then us being able to see (Pope Francis),” she said, adding the encounter with the pontiff is an encounter with Christ. Liz and Ryan Jones and their 6-month-old son, Gilbert, are pictured on Thursday, April 24, 2025, in their home in north Fargo. Anna Paige / The Forum Story for a future child Maria Irish said she was shocked at first to hear of Pope Francis’ death, but she also understood because she saw he was sick before he was hospitalized in mid-February with pneumonia.
Media described the illness as life-threatening, but the pope was released in late March, with recommendations to not do public appearances, according to Fargo Bishop John Folda. Pope Francis continued to appear for small crowds and events after being released. One of his last appearances was on Easter Sunday, when he spoke to St. Peter’s Square before riding among the crowd in the popemobile.
Justin and Maria Irish, far left and second left, show Pope Francis an ultrasound image of their unborn child Jan. 8, 2025, in the Vatican. The pope blessed their marriage and baby. Contribute / Maria Irish Maria Irish said her heart was full knowing that Pope Francis died after Easter Sunday.
“It’s not a coincidence he passed right after Christ’s resurrection,” she said. “I know that it’s just the Lord saying, ‘Yes, he’s in a better place now and he feels better now than he did.’” The blessing she, her husband and her future child received is an “absolute gift,” she said. ADVERTISEMENT “Justin and I hope that we can raise our child to just know how loved they are and know how loved they are by God,” she said.
“I just am excited to tell them this story and tell them how the Lord has been with them ever since they were in the womb.”
