Apr 17, 2008 7:25 pm US/Eastern
Family Relives Amazing Moment With John Paul II
O'Sheas Of N.J. Will Remember 1979 Papal Visit Forever
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. (CBS) ―
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In a two-paragraph conclusion to his lengthy annual pre-Easter message to priests on March 21, 2002, the pope refers to the "grave scandal" of priest implicated in sex abuse cases. Here, Pope John Paul II kisses a child as he arrives at St. Peter's Square
Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images
The encounter lasted only a minute or two, but the blessings have lasted a lifetime for one New Jersey family. They met Pope John Paul II, when he came to New York in 1979.
CBS 2 HD even found video of that moment in our archives.
Mary and Tim O'Shea of Englewood Cliffs remember Pope John Paul's first visit to the United States well. They pulled their three children – Virginia, Tim and Sean – out of school and headed to the city to get a glimpse of the pontiff at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
"There was CBS scaffolding behind us with a cameraman," Mary O'Shea said.
As the camera rolled what the pope did next, the O'Shea's say, was unforgettable.
"He looked down on the kids and his eyes locked down on them and then he motioned for the kids to come up," Mary O'Shea said.
Added Tim O'Shea: "They pushed the people aside and they walked right up to him and bent down, put their heads and as my wife said then my daughter gave him a kiss."
Tim O'Shea snapped several pictures.
"I got six or seven pictures and didn't want to lose them," he said.
The O'Shea kids got three key chains from the pope. Sean's key chain has the image of the pope and in the back it says "Pope John Paul II's Visit To America."
"The fact they came from pope directly to each child as close to relic as you're going to get," Mary O'Shea said.
Virginia O'Shea is now married and has a daughter of her own. She's also the vice president of a media company. Tim is an information technology manager, and 35-year-old Sean is a director of real estate equities and the father of a little girl.
"I think they were blessed from that moment," Mary O'Shea said. "They're successful in their own right and I have two granddaughters and I think the whole family is blessed."
Even though the O'Sheas didn't get the right number at their church lottery to go see Pope Benedict XVI in New York City this weekend, they are still hoping for a last-minute miracle.
All the O'Shea kids live near their parents in Bergen County. They couldn't talk to us Wednesday because they were all working.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Pope Benedict XVI Visits America
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