Charles “Chuck” Keating and his wife Kristin say their lives changed in a moment when Pope Francis visited Philadelphia in 2015.
The Pope was passng by in his motorcade when he stopped the car, got out and blessed their son, Michael, who has cerebral palsy. Michael was 10 years old at the time.
“It was a surreal moment,” Chuck, chairman of fine arts at a Philadelphia-area high school, tells TODAY.com.
“It seemed like a miracle to us that of all the people in the world, he would have seen Michael and decided to stop,” says Kristin, a fourth grade teacher who chatted with TODAY.com between classes. “It gave us such a bump of energy to keep going.”
The image of Pope Francis with Michael, shared here by NBC Philadelphia, went immediately viral at the time. Following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, images began recirculating.
Chuck had been on the airport tarmac leading the school’s marching band, which greeted the pontiff with their renditions of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and, of course, the “Rocky” theme music. (It’s Philadelphia, after all.)
When Pope Francis spotted Michael in his wheelchair next to the band, he gave him a thumbs-up. Then he ordered his car to stop, got out and walked to the fence to lay hands on Michael. He said a blessing, kissed the top of Michael’s head and shook hands with his parents before returning to his car.
The Catholic parents, who have two other children — an older daughter, Katie, and Michael’s twin brother, Christopher — felt an “outpouring of support” when the images went viral after the Pope’s visit, says Chuck.
“It’s amazing what people can do with their kindness,” says Kristin. “I think Pope Francis started that for us, this mountain of generosity and kindness that has been shown to us.”
In addition to well wishes, prayers and acts of service, the family also received financial support, including a $50,000 donation from Star Wars director J.J. Abrams and his wife for the purchase of a new handicap accessible van.
Abrams explained in a 2015 e-mail to The Washington Post: “Katie and I made the donation. Likely for the same reason others did: we were moved by the Keating family’s grace, strength and commitment to each other.”
“I had two hernias and surgeries because of the old van we had. I was trying to lift Michael and the wheelchair in,” Kristin says. “Every once in a while, I’ll send a picture with the kids in the van to J.J. and Katie just saying, ‘Thank you. We’re still using it. We love it.'”
As Catholics, the family’s faith remains strong despite being tested.
When it was time for Michael to make his First Communion with his twin brother in second grade, their family priest forbade Michael from doing so because he was unable to recite the reconciliation prayers first.
“What are you saying? My son has never sinned!” Kristin remembers hearing Chuck say in a heated discussion. But that particular priest would not budge.
The family went “church shopping” to find a Catholic priest who would welcome their special needs family with open arms, and they found one.
When first meeting Father Fitzpatrick after Mass, Kristin asked if he would be open to giving Michael Communion through a feeding tube, and she remembers him saying, “Well, we’ve never done it, but we can figure it out!” Now a family friend, the priest still visits the family every month.
In the fall of 2024, doctors told Chuck and Kristin that Michael’s lungs were damaged. They say doctors estimated he might have six months to live. But even after two winter hospitalizations, “he’s doing much better than they figured he would,” says Kristin.
“Right now, he’s healthy and he’s happy,” says Chuck.
Michael goes to school and spends a lot of time doing things he loves: listening to music as diverse as Bob Marley, Luciano Pavarotti and the “Enchanted” soundtrack.
“At first you wonder how could God let somebody have all these disabilities?” says Chuck. “Believe me, that was going through my mind at first. Eventually, I saw what Michael’s purpose was in life: he’s probably been our best teacher we’ve ever had.”
