Among the plans philanthropist-author Sharon Lee Parker made for Boehm Porcelain when she rescued the Trenton-based company from overseas sale, was to re-invigorate the connection between the renowned gallery and the Catholic Church.

A close friend of the late Helen Boehm, who had guided the small atelier founded by her artist-husband Edward Marshall Boehm on its journey to international renown, Parker sought not only to recognize her predecessor’s devotion to the Church but  continue the legacy she created.

Over the decades, Helen Boehm had nurtured her connection to the Trenton community, keeping the links strong, especially when it came to the Trenton Diocese.

Always generous with her time, treasure and the craftsmanship of her artists, she gifted the diocese with a number of prized limited edition porcelain pieces including “Mute Swans,” also called “Birds of Peace. Porcelain pieces of Mute Swans were also presented by Boehm to Pope Paul VI at the Vatican and the White House.

With that close connection in mind, Parker, who is not Catholic but treasures childhood memories of attending Catholic school as a child, set out to follow Boehm’s example by presenting a porcelain bust of Pope John Paul II and a Christmas creche from the Boehm studios to Pope Benedict XVI.

On May 25, she achieved that goal, meeting the pope during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

There, under the canopy on the top of the steps where Pope Benedict addresses the crowds who come to hear him, Parker presented the pontiff with fine porcelain pieces crafted in the Trenton studios including a bust of Pope John Paul II and a Christmas crèche.

Parker describes her meeting with the pope as one of the most memorable moments in a dynamic life journey that has taken her from growing up as the daughter of a noted sports writer, to a happily married life as the wife of George Parker, a member of the family that owned the fabled Concord Resort Hotel, to overcoming cancer, to starting a foundation to combat it.

Along the way, she’s also been a coach to scores of people as they battled cancer, authored successful books on her efforts and taken on the challenge of keeping Boehm up and running in the town that gave it life.

Bringing the “best of Boehm” to the pope was one more part of her effort, to continue a cherished heritage.

In a brief interview at the diocesan pastoral center shortly after her visit to Rome, Parker talked about how she “just couldn’t stop smiling” when thinking about the meeting. “How significant it was to meet the pope.”

Being led to the top of the platform was an experience in itself, she said. “I had no idea when we arrived on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. that we would be escorted to the very top row, under the canopy.

“I recall looking around in wonder and thinking what an honor it was to be situated where we were,” said Parker. After three hours in the hot, Roman sun, the pope mobile finally arrived. “It was 95 degrees  but it was so overwhelming that you just didn’t feel the heat.”

When the time came to make the presentation to the pope, she managed to hand him a copy of the book she has written on her battle with cancer and to take pleasure in the expression of joy on his face when he blessed the bust of Pope John Paul II and the manger scene.

“It was an amazing day,” she said. “He was warm and loving and I marveled at the amount of time he spent with us.  I was so happy to present the pieces to him. I really feel they represent the best of American artistry and I’m grateful to be the gate keeper of Boehm.”