A South Jersey sports museum owner brought Pope Leo XIV gifts during a trip to Rome
By Ryan Hughes
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SEWELL, New Jersey (KYW) — Step inside the DePace Sports Museum of Champions and you’ll find some of the most treasured sports artifacts and collectables that span several centuries.
From golden statues of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, and the actual trunks they wore during “The Fight of the Century” in 1971, to the locker Babe Ruth used, the nonprofit museum in Sewell, New Jersey, offers visitors a unique display of sports history from around the world, with an emphasis on the tradition of Philly sports.
“It brings all these people back, and they reminisce, ‘Oh, I remember this, I remember that, or I shared this with my dad.’ Really special moments, and it brings it back,” said Dr. Nicholas DePace, who owns the museum.
But DePace is reflecting on his own special moment that happened three weeks ago in Rome. DePace had a private audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, an experience he said is beyond once in a lifetime, or even winning a Super Bowl.
“I told him we’re bringing you some gifts from the Philadelphia area, and his eyes lit up because he’s a Villanova graduate,” DePace said.
DePace’s good friend set up the meeting, and knowing Leo is a sports fan and grew up in Chicago, he presented him with not only a custom Villanova basketball jersey, but also an autographed White Sox photo from when the team won the World Series in 2005, and a game-used football from the Bears’ 1946 championship season.
“I think we made him happy, and we wanted to bring some joy to him as he’s bringing joy to everybody else,” DePace said.
DePace said sports unite people around the world, and with the Flyers in the playoffs for the first time in six years, he’s hoping for a little divine intervention.
“I wouldn’t count them out. Miracles can happen, the pope will tell you that, and even though he’s not a Flyers fan, I’m sure he would be excited if they were to get into the Stanley Cup,” he said.
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