Coming home to Rome
A UD journey that began in Rome decades ago brings a mother and daughter back to the Vatican — and face‑to‑face with Pope Leo.
Meeting a pope is the kind of moment that stays with you — no matter your age.
Kelly Lombardo Matthews ’07 and her 6-year-old daughter, Rosie, traveled to Vatican City in May for the 80th anniversary celebration of Villa Nazareth. After Mass, presided over by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Leo greeted attendees in the Hall of Blessings of the Apostolic Palace.
Among the mostly Italian-speaking crowd, Rosie’s little voice spoke up: “Hi, Pope Leo.”
“Hi, Pope Leo.”
Photograph courtesy Vatican Media.
The pontiff, surprised to hear English, turned toward her. He spoke with her briefly and offered a blessing — a moment neither would forget.
“What’s important to me,” Matthews said, “is where it all started” — 4,770 miles away on UD’s campus.
During her junior year, Matthews, a journalism and Italian major, spent a year in Rome with the Villa Nazareth academic community, where she immediately recognized familiar UD values: connection, belonging and, of course, community.
The experience stayed with her. She built lasting friendships — including one that brought her back two decades later. In January, she returned to visit Rosanna, a close friend from that year abroad, so their daughters could finally meet.
When Matthews received the unexpected invitation to the celebration of Villa Nazareth in May, she spontaneously traveled to Italy once again. Except this time, the two old friends would share a moment with their daughters that neither one of them could have seen coming.
With the impact that the study abroad experience made on her life, she pursued a career that would allow her to interact with the Italian community on a daily basis.
“[My study abroad experience] is a part of my everyday life,” she said. “It really has been kind of the foundation of everything for me.”
After graduating, Matthews earned a graduate degree in Italian education and launched a company offering Italian language and travel programs. She now works for Greater Columbus Sister Cities International, managing partnerships with Genoa, Italy.
“I’m so happy that UD invested in me … and that I invested in myself, because it’s truly given me the world, and now it’s giving my daughter the world.”
Matthews said she noticed a shift in Rosie after meeting the pope — a deeper understanding of the lineage of experiences that led to that moment — and she’s grateful her daughter could witness it.
A version of this article appears in print in the Autumn 2026 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 59. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE