Habemas Chicagoan

With great joy we give thanks for the selection of Pope Leo XIV as the 267th successor of Peter, the servant of the servants of God and the leader of the 1.4 billion Catholic followers of Christ around the world. We are surprised and delighted that our new Pope is an American, a Chicagoan by birth. Not only that, but he grew up on the far south side of Chicago where I also grew up. And his two older brothers graduated from Mendel Catholic High School. That is the same high school that my two older brothers and many of my friends graduated from. It was the home of the Mendel Monarchs and their slogan was 'Mendel Men Are Gentlemen'. His mother worked at the school as a librarian. And I have learned from an article on the SpiritDaily website that Pope Leo had visited Medjugorje as part of his 25th anniversary of ordination and had a good experience there:

Cardinal Prevost had stated that he visited Medjugorje during a trip to Europe with two confreres to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their ordinations, which would have been in 2011 or 2012. Positive Experience: While not initially eager to go, Prevost described the experience as “an environment of prayer and peace” and noted the desire among pilgrims to change their lives. 

We pray for our Holy Father and that Our Lady, the Queen of Peace, will continue to lead him ever closer to the heart of Jesus and that he will lead us all to holiness.