You may wonder what the Pope has to do with agrimarketing. Trust me there’s a connection here.

In February of 2001, when I was still farm director for the Brownfield Network, I was able to participate in a seminar at the FAO in Rome on International Farm Broadcasting, specifically in undeveloped countries. That gave me the opportunity to bring along my family for a visit to Rome prior to the seminar. Through the efforts of a wonderful priest and our local bishop we were invited to meet Pope John Paul II. First my two oldest daughters were able to greet him at a Wednesday general audience and then Cindy, myself and our youngest daughter got to meet him in his apartment on a Saturday morning! I’m including the pictures because they are some of my most treasured that I’ll ever have.

Pope John Paul II is already a saint in my mind. He had a tremendous impact on my life and on my family. I have to take this opportunity to honor him for all he did in his life. I know he reached out and touched millions of people of all faiths and he will be sorely missed but his legacy will live on for centuries to come.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Mathew 25:21)

The Zimmerman family (Chuck, Cindy, Chelsea, Carly and Caitlin) and Pope John Paul II

-photos taken by Vatican photographer-