Alejandro Rojas-Garcia, 34, was gunned down outside of an afterhours night club. His accused killer, a 24-year-old Camden man, was arrested earlier this year.
PHILADELPHIA -- Wil Rojas and Aledia Garcia never lost hope.
Tickets to the papal Mass that will be led by Pope Francis on Sept. 27, 2015. Aledia Garcia and Wilfredo "Wil" Rojas were specially selected to receive the tickets. (Photo provided) When their son was shot to death in North Philadelphia, they vowed justice. When Alejandro "Alex" Rojas-Garcia's accused killer was tracked down, they felt relief. When the two asked to attend a meeting Pope Francis was scheduled to attend, they were awarded one better.
Rojas and Garcia now hold the greatest source of hope -- tickets to the Sept. 27 papal Mass led by the Holy Father.
"God heard our prayers and touched the hearts of Archbishop (Charles) Chaput and organizers of The World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia were the first thought that entered my mind," said Garcia.
Rojas and Garica picked up the tickets Monday morning; they broke down in tears immediately after hearing the news that they would be among those invited to see Pope Francis.
"This gesture shows compassion for us and other families of homicide victims and those who are victims of violence or caring for a victim of violence. Our lives are forever altered due to violence," Garcia added.
The eight-month road to the Parkway and the pope began on Jan. 24, when Rojas-Garcia, 34, was gunned down outside of an afterhours night club. His accused killer, a 24-year-old Camden man, was arrested earlier this year and currently awaits trial.
Court testimony revealed a possible dispute of some sort at the club, located in the city's Feltonville section. Rojas-Garcia was behind the wheel of a recently-purchased SUV when he was shot multiple times. At the time of his death, Rojas-Garcia was enrolled at Temple University and was majoring in advertising within the school's media and communications program.
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The parents of Rojas-Garcia joined forced with families of other victims of violence to draw attention of their struggles in hopes of getting the attention of The World Meeting of Families.
The most recent call for an invitation to Curran Fromhold Correctional Facility -- where Rojas retired from and where Pope Francis is scheduled to visit -- was made late last month.
"I must say that I am extremely excited and grateful to receive this letter (of invitation) which shines light on the suffering of families like ours," Rojas, a vice president with the Gloucester County NAACP branch, said.
Last week, 10,000 free tickets to the papal Mass disappeared in minutes. Rojas said that the blessings he and Garcia will accept from Pope Francis will be on behalf of thousands of murder victims and their families from all over the world. Rojas and Garcia invited Antonia Flores and Roz Pichardo, family members of two other murder victims, to join them at the mass.
"We prayed for an audience with a representative group of families of homicide victims. And we are grateful to all who made it possible for us to be so close to His Holiness, and for receiving our special intentions," Rojas said.
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
