Mother encourages other families to travel with special needs children
By Elizabeth Zimak, Correspondent
For nearly two decades, Leilani Faigao prayed for the opportunity to travel to Italy with her family.
In November 2010, she and her husband, Rod, were married in Venice. Shortly after their wedding, the couple was given the opportunity to tour St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. As they stood at the church’s closed Holy Door, the couple was told it would reopen during the next Jubilee Year in 2025.
“I remember quietly praying and dreaming that one day, we would return — not alone, but with a family,” Leilani said.
Fifteen years later, during the Jubilee Year of Hope, the Faigaos were able to make that dream a reality. This past November, they returned to Italy with their four daughters: Olivia, 13; Lia, 10; Stella, 8, and Ava Hope, 4.
The trip was taken in part to celebrate Rod and Leilani’s wedding anniversary, but the family’s main motivation was to visit all four Holy Doors, which they knew are visible signs of the sacredness of the Jubilee Year. And so they set their minds to visit the Doors in St. Peter’s; San Giovanni in Laterano; Santa Maria Maggiore, and St. Paul Outside the Walls.
“Passing through the Holy Doors as a family was a truly incredible moment,” Leilani remarked. “Being more knowledgeable about our faith than we were 15 years ago and having our children with us made it even more meaningful.”
The family also attended Mass at the Santa Maria dei Miracoli Cathedral in Venice, where Rod and Leilani had been married, as well as Pope Leo XIV’s papal audience on November 24. In addition, they viewed famous Italian landmarks, such as the Colosseum and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
“The focus of our trip was to complete the Jubilee Doors,” Leilani said. “Everything else was a ‘bonus’ from God.”
For the Faigaos, who reside in Burlington, the Rome pilgrimage was a cherished new facet of their family’s robust practice of the faith. “Our family prayer routine became stronger during Covid,” Leilani said. “We have a daily non-negotiable prayer time, and Sundays are reserved for church and family activities.”
The family attends Sacred Heart Parish in Mount Holly and are actively involved in parish life – Rod serves as a catechist and a Knight of Columbus, while Leilani is a member of the female Knights of Columbus group, the Columbiettes. Outside of church, Rod works as a business analyst while Leilani serves as a stay-at-home mom.
In 2021, Rod and Leilani’s faith was strengthened with the arrival of their youngest daughter, Ava Hope, who was born with Down syndrome and a host of other significant special needs. At four months old, surgery was performed on her heart and was followed by a lengthy hospital stay. Leilani gives thanks to God that Ava is no longer on a feeding tube and has made tremendous progress in recent years.
“Looking back, I feel like God was preparing her for this trip,” Leilani said.
The Faigaos cleared the Italy trip with Ava’s doctors first before making any travel arrangements. Leilani was grateful for the many resources provided to the family throughout their journey, such as wheelchair access for their daughter while in the airport. She believes that, with some adjustments, families of special needs children are more than capable of traveling.
“These boys and girls are children of God, and they deserve to see Italy too,” Leilani said, also recommending that special needs parents reach out to their local parishes for support. “There’s always help; don’t be afraid to ask.”
Reflecting back on the family’s journey, all Leilani could express was gratitude.
“When our family walked through the Jubilee Door at St. Peter’s, my heart was so full,” she said. “God is so good – he fulfilled our dream.”
PHOTO AT TOP: The Faigao family attends Mass in Santa Maria dei Miracoli Church, Venice, Italy, where they were married in 2010; Mass was celebrated by Father Nino Perido with David Almariego as acolyte.