UCF medical school student Jenn Bazemore Fundora has had a life-changing few months. She\u2019s gotten married, matched into a pediatric residency program at the prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital and now has received a blessing from Pope Francis at a special newlywed ceremony in Rome.<\/p>\n
Jenn and her husband, Chris, who were married in December 2013, had already planned a graduation trip to Rome when they learned about the nuptial blessing and jumped at the chance to be part of it. On April 16, they joined nine other couples from around the world, all dressed in wedding gowns and tuxedos. Each couple spent about two minutes with the pontiff.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were thrilled and beyond excited to have had this opportunity! It was literally a once in a lifetime chance to have our marriage blessed by the Holy Father that we\u2019ll be able to share for years to come,\u201d said Jenn, who graduates from the UCF College of Medicine on May 16.<\/p>\n
Couples must apply to the Vatican to receive the blessing, have been married in a Catholic church, ideally within two months of their Papal visit, present their certificate of sacramental marriage signed by their priest, and wear wedding attire at the event.<\/p>\n
The couples were ushered in front of St. Peter\u2019s Basilica to receive their personal blessings in private, after the Pope\u2019s weekly audience. The blessing was especially meaningful to Chris and Jenn because their parents were also able to travel to the Vatican to share their experience.<\/p>\n
Jenn described Pope Francis as being down-to-earth and a people\u2019s Pope.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw one couple take a \u2018selfie\u2019 with him, which wasn\u2019t really allowed, and everyone was told to put their phones away,\u201d she said. \u201cWe were disappointed, so at the end of our conversation, Chris asked if he could have a hug, and Pope Francis said, \u2019Of course!\u2019 I don\u2019t remember exactly what he (the Pope) said because we were very caught up in the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
To celebrate the event, each newlywed received a white rosary blessed by Pope Francis. For now, Jenn and Chris\u2019 rosaries are tucked safely away, but Jenn said she plans to share her story and the rosaries with family members for generations to come.<\/p>\n
Jenn said the vacation to Europe and the Papal visit gave her a chance to relax before graduation and beginning her residency in June.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring our trip I was able to reflect on my last eight years in Orlando,\u201d said Jenn, who graduated with honors from UCF\u2019s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences before entering medical school. \u201cI will really miss\u00a0UCF and Orlando, and it\u2019s bittersweet to leave.\u00a0On the other hand,\u00a0I am very excited to start my career as a pediatrician and the next chapter of our lives in Baltimore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chris, from Pembroke Pines, Florida, graduated from UCF in 2010 with a degree in Management Information Systems and works as a systems analyst.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"UCF medical school student Jenn Bazemore Fundora has had a life-changing few months. She\u2019s gotten married, matched into a pediatric residency program at the prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital and now has received a blessing from Pope Francis at a special newlywed ceremony in Rome. Jenn and her husband, Chris, who were married in December 2013, had already planned a graduation…","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":59112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-twocol.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[5,6,27],"tags":[653,979,202],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-59111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colleges","category-community","category-student-life","tag-burnett-school-of-biomedical-sciences","tag-college-of-medicine","tag-alumni"],"yoast_head":"\n