From the desk of the pastor for August 2, 2026

The Lord be with you! We have come to our penultimate article on Church history. We are, of course, looking at our current pontiff, Leo XIV, the first American pope!

After studying mathematics at Villanova and entering the Augustinian order, Robert Prevost was ordained a priest in 1982 and soon began missionary work in northern Peru. He would go on to lead the Augustinians worldwide as Prior General for two terms, then return to Peru as Bishop of Chiclayo, where he became a naturalized Peruvian citizen. Pope Francis later called him to Rome to lead the Dicastery for Bishops, the office responsible for helping select bishops throughout the world, before making him a cardinal in 2023. That path, from the American Midwest to the Peruvian missions to the Vatican's inner workings, gave him an unusually broad view of the global Church heading into the conclave that elected him.

I only knew one person who mentioned Cardinal Prevost during last year’s Conclave - my brother Joe. In that offhand comment, he mentioned all that would have to happen for Prevost to be the next pope. We laughed, but God would laugh harder: a week later our jaws dropped when he walked out of the logia and gave his blessing.

In that first appearance on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, Leo spoke of building a missionary Church, one open to welcoming everyone in charity and dialogue. That instinct toward bridge-building has marked his early months as pope. He has continued much of the pastoral emphasis of his predecessor, speaking out on behalf of migrants and workers and positioning himself firmly as an advocate for peace amid ongoing global conflicts.

Pope Leo has also made artificial intelligence a signature concern of his young papacy. His first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, offers moral guidance on AI's rapid growth and its effects on human dignity and labor, a subject he raised within days of his election and has returned to often since. In choosing the name Leo, he deliberately recalled Pope Leo XIII, whose landmark encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the upheavals of the industrial revolution and the rights of workers. The choice signals that Leo XIV sees today's technological revolution as a similar hinge moment for Catholic social teaching.

Pope Leo XIV brings a distinctly missionary and multilingual sensibility to the papacy - being fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese. His ability to communicate is matched by his wide outlook and calm demeanor. Although he may be the first - and possibly only pope - to cheer for the Chicago White Sox, he knows what it means to cherish one’s roots while having to adapt to an entirely new way of life. Let us continue to pray for Pope Leo in his role as Vicar of Christ.

In His Sacred Heart,

Fr. John