CNS photo/Lola Gomez

Juliet Guidry

CUMMING—A handmade yellow chick, created by an archdiocesan eighth grader, made its way from Georgia to the Vatican, delighting Pope Leo XIV and capturing global attention across social media.

Juliet Guidry, an eighth grader at St. John Bosco Academy in Cumming, crocheted a Peep complete with a tiny miter for the Holy Father.

Thanks to family friends who traveled to Rome, the gift was delivered to Pope Leo during a general audience at the Vatican on Dec. 17.

“Over Christmas break, I crocheted a Peep for the pope,” Guidry wrote in a letter she shared with her school.

Juliet Guidry, an eighth grader at St. John Bosco Academy in Cumming, crocheted this yellow Peep for Pope Leo XIV. Ashley Diaz, a family friend, brought the gift to the Vatican. Photo courtesy of Ashley Diaz

The idea for “Operation Pope Peep,” came from Ashley Diaz, a friend of Guidry’s mother, Jillian Guidry. Diaz had watched an interview with Pope Leo’s brother revealing that the marshmallow treat is the pontiff’s favorite candy. The Just Born Quality Confections company began making the treats in 1953, and they have become an Eastertime staple.

Wanting to make their visit at the Vatican extra memorable, Diaz reached out to Juliet after hatching her plan.

“At first, when Ashley asked me to crochet a Peep, I was very confused,” Juliet said. “I asked her why, and the second she said it was for the pope, I grabbed my crochet hook.”

Juliet finished the crochet Peep in three hours, creating a bird about the size of a football. Jillian added a finishing touch to the gift.

“My mom sewed a little miter onto him, crowning him the Pope Peep,” Juliet said.

Diaz and her siblings traveled through Europe with the Pope Peep before arriving in Rome. The group arrived at the Vatican at 5:30 a.m. that Wednesday to secure seats near the front.

When the pontiff appeared in his Popemobile, the family shouted to him, “Pope Leo, we got you a Peep!”

To their surprise, the pope noticed and said, “A giant Peep! You made it?”

Pope Leo XIV smiles as he holds the gifted Peep. The crocheted chick, made to look like the iconic marshmallow treat, was made by Juliet Guidry of Cumming. Photo courtesy of Ashley Diaz

A security guard handed the crocheted Peep to the pope, who then held it up for the crowd to see. Pope Leo smiled proudly with his gift.

For Juliet, the experience has been both joyful and overwhelming.

“I am over the moon excited, but I am also shocked by all the publicity Operation Pope Peep got,” she said. “I never knew a simple ball of yarn could produce so much joy around the world.”

Jillian shared that the project reflected her daughter’s deep faith.

“I’m so proud of her,” she said. “Juliet has such a love of the faith. For her, it wasn’t just about giving the Peep to the pope, but more about how she could use her talents to make something that would bring him a piece of home.”

Juliet also credited the person who taught her how to crochet.

“I would love to thank Taylor Holder, my sister-in-law, for teaching me how to crochet,” she said. “Thank you, Taylor, for sending me on this wonderful journey.”