Eight months of grieving. Eights months fighting for justice. Eight months trying to redress the apathy about gun violence in Philadelphia.

Now, the family of Alejandro "Alex" Rojas-García, a former Temple University student who was shot to death last January in North Philadelphia, feel a surge of newfound hope for their cause.

Two weeks ago, they broke down into tears when they got the letter saying that they would have an audience with Pope Francis. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the World Meeting of Families presented four tickets to Rojas-García’s parents so that they could attend the ticketed papal mass on the Ben Franklin Parkway on Sunday, Sept. 27.

“God heard our prayers and touched the hearts of Archbishop Chaput and organizers of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, [that] was the first thought that entered my mind,” said Alex’s mother, Aleida Garcia. “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.”

García, alongside Alex’s father Wilfredo “Wil” Rojas, have joined the ever-widening community of families touched by gun violence in Philadelphia. Since their son’s January death, they have taken the reins of an initiative — reaching out to other victims’ families, showing up to trials, handing out fliers in cold cases, appealing to media outlets and legislators far and wide. They even have their own bilingual podcasts in which they regularly talk about the issue of gun violence, and García has started the advocacy committee JusticeforALEXnow.

“We prayed for an audience with a representative group of families of homicide victims,” Wilfredo Rojas said. “We are grateful to all who made it possible for us to be so close to His Holiness and for receiving our special intentions.”

Wilfredo Rojas added that he would accept the Papal Blessing “not only individually for his family, but collectively for the many thousands of families of murder victims and families caring for victims of violence all across the world.” He and García gave the other two tickets to Antonia Flores and Roz Pichardo, family members of two other murder victims in the city.

Aleida Silva-Garcia, Alex’s sister, still had trouble talking about her brother’s murder without tears. For the first several months after his murder, she was paralyzed with grief.

“The shock has worn off, and I can feel the deep depression that has set in,” Alex’s sister, Aleida Silve-Garcia, told AL DIA over the summer.

Although these last eight months have felt like an eternity, the families of murder victims know that the process of grief and the search for justice aren’t going to resolve themselves overnight. In March, Philadelphia Police arrested and charged Leonaldo Rivera, 25, in Rojas’ slaying. But the long-term target — the gun violence itself — will take much longer to arraign.

“It’s such a complicated question, but I hope that everyone can take an active role and take the epidemic of homicide seriously,” Silva-Garcia said.

On Sunday, Wilfredo Rojas and Aleida García will proudly wear their “Justice for Alex” buttons to the papal mass. Even though a sit-down with the Pope is unlikely, they are confident that just their presence at the historic event will bring them one step closer to their goal.