Pope Leo’s gesture brings ‘great sense of joy’ to Mary’s Meals supporters

Pope Leo’s visit to Africa brought a “great sense of joy” to Irish supporters of Mary’s Meals, after the pontiff was presented a T-shirt and mug with the charity’s logo during the papal flight.

Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Ms Patricia Friel, Executive Director of Mary’s Meals Ireland, said the Pope’s reaction to the gifts was deeply meaningful. “When the Pope seen the Mary’s Meals T-shirt and mug, he smiled and said, ‘Yes, yes, yes’,” she said. “For us, that was a recognition that he sees every one of us – every hungry child, every volunteer… that nod and recognition, I really felt it in my heart.”

Mary’s Meals now provides daily meals to more than three million children in places of education. Ms Friel said this growth has been due to the simplicity of its mission. “Just doing one thing really well… providing one daily meal in a place of education,” she said. “When you make something so simple, it attracts many people to it.”

The charity has a strong Irish base, with around 190 volunteers across 20 counties. Ms Friel said the Pope’s gesture resonated deeply with supporters. “Even to have our logo and our colours close to the Holy Father just gave us a great sense of joy,” she said.

Pope Leo’s visit to Africa also highlights the realities which Mary’s Meals seeks to address. “It’s such a significant visit… to highlight the injustice in the world,” Ms Friel said. “In this world of absolute abundance… there is little children going hungry today. That’s an absolute injustice.” She pointed to the 78 million children globally who are unable to attend school due to hunger and poverty.

Looking ahead, Ms Friel said the charity hopes the moment will raise awareness in Ireland. “We would just hope that more people would come to know and then come to love Mary’s Meals,” she said. “11 cent is what it costs us to feed a child for one day,” she said, adding that “the things people don’t value any longer, we can turn that into value to feed a child.”