Tom Brady is the quarterback for the Super Bowl Champions New England Patriots and was named MVP of the big game. But did you know he comes from a Catholic family and met Pope St. John Paul II?

Brady is the youngest of four children and was raised Catholic. He attended Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, California, a Catholic preparatory high school. Though he doesn’t talk much publicly about his current religious beliefs, when he got married in 2009 to model Gisele Bündchen they had a Catholic wedding. They subsequently baptized their son in the Catholic Church. (Brady also has another child with a previous girlfriend, though he was never married.)

This all stands as context to Brady’s brief meeting with Pope St. John Paul II in 2004. Soon after he had won his second Super Bowl, Brady traveled to Rome and had a short greeting with the aging pontiff. When asked about the meeting by a reporter in 2015, Brady simply said the meeting was “very brief … but pretty cool [and] well worth it.”

[See also: Here’s How Much Pope Francis’ Super Bowl Message Cost]

Here’s a picture of their meeting:

via lastrow.wordpress.com

Say a prayer for Tom Brady and his family!

[See also: How Kobe Bryant’s Catholic Faith Pulled Him Through His Darkest Hour]

[See also: NASCAR Champion Boldly Thanks “Blessed Mother & Sacred Heart of Jesus”]

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