Monitor Mag MAY 2025 POPE LEO XIV by Diocese of Trenton

MONITOR

KEEPSAKE EDITION ON POPE LEO XIV

‘PEACE BE WITH YOU ALL!’

Minutes after his introduction as the 266th Successor of Peter on May 8, Pope Leo XIV extends the Lord’s peace in a blessing to a rejoicing world. Described as a “Citizen of the World,” the first Augustinian and American pope has signaled his desire to be guided by the legacy of Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIII and St. Augustine.

First American Pope . . 7-11

Augustinian Order, Papal Coat of Arms 12-13

The Papal Name Leo and its Legacy 15-16

Good Shepherd Sunday, First Mass 18

Cardinals 20-23

Diocesan Mass of Thanksgiving 24 -25

Secular Media Talks with Bishop O’Connell 26

Faithful Reactions 28-33

Catholic Schools Pray, “Smoke Watch” 34-35

Pope Leo XIV, the former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, waves to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican after his election as pope May 8, 2025. The new pope was born in Chicago. CNS photo/Vatican Media

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The Christophers

We joyously celebrate the election of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost—now known as Pope Leo XIV—as the 267th pope and the first from the United States! As he follows in the footsteps of St. Peter, we pray that God inspires and protects Pope Leo in guiding our Church and proclaiming the saving message of Jesus Christ to a world in need.

‘Meeting’ the new pope in the presence of our bishop

Like so many historic and momentous occasions in our lifetimes, most people will long remember where they were and what they were doing on May 8 when Pope Leo XIV was introduced to the world as the 266th Successor of Peter.

A message

from

RAYANNE BENNETT Associate Publisher

It was a happy coincidence that the entire staff of the diocesan Chancery were together for a special luncheon that Thursday when someone noticed on their phones that white smoke had appeared coming out of the Sistine Chapel chimney. The excitement was nearly palpable and everyone applauded as we eagerly awaited the first appearance of the newly elected pope on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.

It seemed like an eternity before the announcement was made. “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus papam,” (I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope),” proclaimed Vatican Cardinal Mamberti, identifying the new pontiff as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, the American-born Augustinian prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops who had chosen the name Pope Leo XIV.

In our Chancery meeting space, all eyes were on a pull-down screen that had been set up for a pre-planned video, only to now be the window through which we were learning the most joyful news. Not only had a pope been chosen so early in the conclave, but for the first time in the history of the Church, he was American-born.

Many of the staff felt particularly fortunate to be receiving this extraordinary news in the presence of Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., who nar-

rated in real time what was happening and what it meant. Bishop O’Connell observed that Cardinal Prevost was the only American cardinal he had never met. And he couldn’t help but show his joyful surprise that an American had been chosen.

After Pope Leo XIV’s brief remarks, Bishop O’Connell led the Chancery staff in prayer for the new pontiff and invited them to enjoy the rest of the day off.

Since the death of Pope Francis, Bishop O’Connell had been asked by multiple television stations to sit for interviews, drawing from his long experience with reporting and news commentary over the years. While on pilgrimage in Paris, the Bishop served as a television commentator with one cable news program for Pope Francis’ funeral.

Realizing the many similarities in the backgrounds of Pope Leo XIV and Bishop O’Connell made the Holy Father’s election feel especially close and familiar. Both were born in 1955 and ordained in 1982 and have comparable academic backgrounds, with doctorates in canon law. Both prelates also served in tribunals and taught in seminaries. Both

are members of religious congregations, Cardinal Prevost as an Augustinian and Bishop O’Connell as a Vincentian. Pope Leo XIV spent many years serving as a missionary in Peru and a superior in his order whereas Bishop O’Connell spent most of his priestly career in works of Catholic education. Bishop O’Connell was consecrated bishop in 2010 and Cardinal Prevost in 2014. Their paths, of course, took different turns, but their journeys made Pope Leo all the more real to us.

In recent commentary and messages, Bishop O’Connell has observed with great admiration that Pope Leo XIV’s first words to the world were “Peace be with you,” the first words used by the Lord Jesus to his apostles after the Resurrection. “In a world shaken by conflict, war and division,” Bishop O’Connell observed, “the new Holy Father’s wish and prayer are comforting and encouraging as is his great and evident devotion to Mary the Mother of God and of the Church. May she protect and guide him to her Son in the service of his Divine mission.”

To which we say, Amen!

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., and Chancery staff could not hide their joy as they listened to the first words uttered by Pope Leo XIV May 8.

Monitor photo by Rose O’Connor

Pope Leo XIV, the former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, waves to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican after his election as Pope May 8, 2025. The new Pope was born in Chicago. CNS photo/

First American Pope: White Sox fan, Villanova grad, Peru missionary, Vatican leader

BY MARIA WIERING  OSV News

Standing on the loggia of St. Peter’s basilica, newly elected Pope Leo XIV smiled, waved and appeared to hold back emotion May 8 as he introduced himself to the world as the 266th successor to St. Peter, the first American to hold that role.

His first words: “Peace be with you!”

Pope Leo, 69, formerly Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, is the first pope from the United States. He assumes the chair of Peter with multifaceted leadership experience: He grew up in the Midwest, graduated from Augustinian-run Villanova University in 1977 with a math

degree, ministered as a bishop in Peru, and led the Vatican dicastery that helps appoint, form and retire bishops.

Born in Chicago and ordained a priest for the Order of St. Augustine in 1982, Pope Leo held major leadership roles in his religious community before being ordained a bishop in 2014,

ministering in the dioceses of Chiclayo and Callao, Peru. He was installed as the prefect of the Holy See’s Dicastery for Bishops – the powerful Vatican body responsible for choosing bishops throughout the world – in April 2023 and was elevated that September to the rank of cardinal.

In 2013, as he prepared to leave his role as the Augustinians’ global leader, he told Rome Reports that Augustinians “are called to live a simple life at the service of others, and in a special way, to reach out to those who are poor ... which includes, of course those who are monetarily poor, but there are many kinds of

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A new Pope’s faith builds

poverty in today’s world.”

EARLY LIFE AND MINISTRY

Pope Leo was born in suburban south Chicago on Sept. 14, 1955. His family attended St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Dolton, Illinois, and he is reportedly of Italian, French and Spanish descent. In 1977, Pope Leo entered the novitiate of the Order of St. Augustine in St. Louis. In September 1978, at the age of 22, he professed first vows, and three years later, he made solemn vows.

He earned a theology degree at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago before going to Rome to study canon law at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, receiving his licentiate in 1984. Three years later, he completed his doctorate, writing on “The role of the local prior in the Order of Saint Augustine.”

By the time he received his doctorate, he had been ordained a priest for the

Order of St. Augustine for five years and had ministered for a year in the order’s mission of Chulucanas in Piura, Peru.

In 1987, he was elected the vocations director and missions director for his order’s Midwest province, Our Mother of Good Counsel. A year later, he went to Trujillo, Peru, to direct a joint formation project for the region’s Augustinian aspirants. Over the course of a decade in Trujillo, he served as the community’s prior, formation director and as a teacher. Meanwhile, he served the Archdiocese of Trujillo for nine years as its judicial vicar and was also a professor of canon, patristic and moral law in the San Carlos e San Marcelo Major Seminary, which is currently celebrating its 400th anniversary.

In 1999, Pope Leo returned to the U.S. to serve as prior provincial for the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel. In 2001, at age 46, he was promoted to his order’s prior general, considered its supreme authority that oversees its administration and

young Robert Francis Prevost, the future

Leo XIV, is pictured in an undated photo. Born in Chicago in 1955, he spent most of his childhood in the greater Chicago area, but attended a seminary high school in Michigan. A classmate, now a Benedictine monk, remembers him as a highly intelligent, well-liked student who would go out of his way to help everyone else. OSV News photo/ Augustinian Province of Our Mother of

governance.

Pope Leo was reelected to the role in 2007, holding it for a total of 12 years until 2013. Under his leadership, the Augustinian provinces in North America reorganized in 2012 as the Federation of the Augustinians of North America, which fostered greater collaboration while allowing each province some autonomy.

For a year, from October 2013 to November 2014, he served as a “teacher of the professed” and provincial vicar.

SERVICE IN PERU, ROME

In November 2014, Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo, Peru – an area in the northwestern part of the country that was then home to around 1.1 million Catholics, about 88% of the population at the time. He was simultaneously named a bishop, but of the titular diocese Sufar, under which title he was ordained a month later on Dec. 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The following year, on Nov. 7, 2015,

A photo of a young Robert Prevost, the future Pope Leo XIV, taken from his high school yearbook is seen next to his signature. He spent most of his childhood in the greater Chicago area, but he attended high school at the now-closed St. Augustine Seminary High School in Holland, Mich. OSV News photo/courtesy Father Becket Franks

Pope

Good Counsel

Pope Leo XIV

and the U.S. Under “Robert Prevost,” Leo XIV has maintained an X account with sporadic, mostly news-based retweets, such as requests in February to pray for Pope Francis and rebukes of Vice President JD Vance’s comments on the ordering one’s loves, or “ordo amoris,” a Catholic concept Vance tried to invoke to justify Trump’s immigration policy.

Pope Leo XIV reportedly enjoys playing tennis; speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese; and reads Latin and German. According to a May 8 interview with his brother John Prevost, Pope Leo is a Chicago White Sox fan – and never cheered for baseball rival Chicago Cubs. “He was never, ever a Cubs fan,” the Pope’s brother emphasized.

At age 69, Pope Leo is seven years younger than Pope Francis was when he was elected in 2013, and nine years younger than Benedict XVI when he was elected in 2005. He is 11 years older than St. John Paul II, who was 58, at his 1978 election.

THE ELECTION

Pope Leo was likely elected on the third vote of the conclave’s second day, after a total of four votes. The 133 cardinal electors entered the conclave on the afternoon of May 7, with the closing of the doors of the Sistine Chapel broadcast live by Vatican Media.

The conclave was the largest and most geographically diverse conclave known in history, with cardinals representing 69 countries across five continents with greater percentages of participating cardinals from Africa, Asia and Latin America than in other recent conclaves. By contrast, 115 cardinal electors – half of them from Europe –participated in the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis. In the 2025 conclave, 43% of electors were from Europe.

Prior to the conclave, the cardinal electors met for 12 general congrega-

tions, during which they shared their hopes, concerns and priorities for the Church. The topics highlighted ranged widely, from evangelization, caring for the poor and addressing clergy sexual abuse, to the economy, peace-building efforts and synodality.

Many of the world’s 252 cardinals –including those over age 80 who were no longer eligible to elect a pope – were already in or arrived in Rome within days of Pope Francis’ death April 21. More than 220 cardinals, including then-Cardinal Prevost, attended his funeral on April 26.

‘URBI ET ORBI’

In remarks given from St. Peter’s loggia before offering his first “urbi et orbi” blessing, Pope Leo commended Pope Francis’ final blessing of the world on Easter morning, the day before he died, saying, “Let me follow up on that same blessing: God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail! We are all in God’s hands. Therefore, without fear, united hand in hand with God and each other – let us go forward. We are disciples of Christ. Christ goes before us.”

Pope Leo also indicated he would continue the legacy of Pope Francis in

developing a synodal style within the Catholic Church for the sake of its Gospel mission.

“We want to be a synodal Church,” he said. “A Church that walks, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close especially to those who suffer.”

The Augustinians’ Philadelphia-based Province of St. Thomas of Villanova announced earlier this year that it was presenting its 2025 St. Augustine Medal to then-Cardinal Prevost, with a celebration scheduled for Aug. 28, the feast of St. Augustine.

In that 2013 Rome Reports interview, then-Father Prevost spoke about God and St. Augustine, the fifth-century philosopher, theologian and bishop who inspired the formation of the Augustinians in 1244.

“God is not someone or something that is absent and far away,” he said. “And Augustine, in his spirituality, in his struggles, in his reflections that we see, for example, in the ‘Confessions,’ is able to open a window ... and to lead others to come to discover how God is working in their lives.”

Maria Wiering is senior writer for OSV News.

A worker counts printed newspapers for circulation with a picture of the newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States, at the Nation Media Group printing press on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, May 8, 2025. OSV News photo/Thomas Mukoya, Reuters

LEO XIV: A

Who are the Augustinians, Pope Leo XIV’s order?

BY MARIA WIERING  OSV News

In Pope Leo XIV’s first greeting after being introduced as pope May 8, he described himself as a “son of St. Augustine.”

The first American pope has spoken in the past with affection about the fifth-century convert, bishop and intellectual powerhouse considered the father of his religious order, the Order of St. Augustine. Although their order was founded more than 800 years after Augustine’s death, the Augustinians draw on his wisdom and holiness to shape their community.

In the early 13th century, loosely organized communities of hermits living in Italy’s Tuscany region sought direction from Pope Innocent IV – known to be an excellent canonist, or Church law scholar – to help them adopt a common rule of life to live with greater uniformity.

They were inspired, in part, by the recent formation of other new religious orders, including the Franciscans in 1209 and the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominicans, in 1216. Both were mendicant orders, which meant they relied on begging and working for their sustenance, and unlike the long-established Benedictines and other monks, they did not vow stability, meaning they were not bound to a single monastery for life.

Pope Innocent advised the Tuscan hermits to organize under the rule of St. Augustine, a guide for religious life the saint had developed around the year 400. It covered the breadth of religious life, including purpose and basis of common life, prayer, moderation and self-denial, safeguarding chastity and fraternal correction, and governance and obedience.

RULE OF ST. AUGUSTINE

Written initially as a letter for a community of religious women in Hippo, the diocese in modern-day Algeria that St. Augustine led, the rule made its way to Europe and influenced St. Benedict, who formed the Benedictines in Italy in 529.

The rule of St. Augustine had also informed the Dominicans, but when the Tuscan hermits adopted the rule, they also took the name and spiritual fatherhood of its author. Over time, they transitioned from an eremitical way of life to the mendicant model expressed by other medieval orders, which is why they are known as “friars.” Women’s religious communities also joined the Augustinians, producing saints including St. Clare of Montefalco and St. Rita of Cascia. Male Augustinian saints include St. John of Sahagún, an early Augustinian from Spain, and St. Nicholas of Tolentine, who was the first Augustinian to be canonized after the order’s “grand union” in 1256.

Today the Order of St. Augustine is an international religious community that includes more than 2,800 members in nearly 50 countries, including the United States, where they are organized into three provinces, or geographical areas. Lay men and women also affiliate themselves with the Augustinians and the order’s spirituality and support the order’s work.

Augustinians in the U.S. have a strong reputation for education and founded Villanova University near Philadelphia and Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, and high schools in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ontario and Pennsylvania. They also care for several parishes and have missions in Japan and Peru.

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Saint Augustine of Hippo receiving the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, by Philippe de Champaigne, circa 1645-1650. Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Wikipedia image

Classic emblem/coat of arms of the Order of Saint Augustine. Wikipedia image

Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV: Peacemaker and openness in an historic name

BY JUSTIN MCLELLAN  Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY • Even before he stepped out on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and spoke May 8, Pope Leo XIV’s choice of a name was a powerful statement.

Following Pope Francis, who chose a completely new name in Church history, Pope Leo opted for a name steeped in tradition that also conveys an openness to engaging with the modern world.

The pope’s choice of name is a “direct recall of the social doctrine of the Church and of the pope that initiated the modern social doctrine of the Church,” Matteo Bruni, director Vatican press office told reporters after the election of the new pope.

Pope Leo XIII, who was pope from 1878-1903, is known for publishing the

encyclical “Rerum Novarum” on worker’s rights – considered the foundational document for the Church’s social teaching. The document emphasized the dignity of workers and condemned the dangers of unchecked capitalism and socialism.

The name Leo is a “direct” reference to “men and women and their work, also in the time of artificial intelligence,” Bruni said.

 Pope Leo opted for a name steeped in tradition ...

Pope Leo XIII also opened the Vatican secret archives to scholars, founded the Vatican observatory to demonstrate the Church’s openness to science and was the first pope to be filmed on a motion

picture camera.

Tied to the new pope’s first words to the faithful: “May peace be with you all,” his namesake Pope Leo XIII was also a peacemaker who reconciled the Church with the governments of France, Russia, Germany and Great Britain during his pontificate.

Pope Leo’s name also has a Marian significance, since Pope Leo XIII wrote 11 encyclicals on the Rosary and was also the first pope to embrace the concept of Mary as mediatrix, which holds that Mary helps distribute Christ’s grace through her intercession.

The first pope who took the name Leo became pope in 440. Known as “Leo the Great,” he promoted the doctrine of papal primacy based on succession from St. Peter and was a peacemaker who convinced Atilla the Hun to turn back from

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Pope Leo XIV, the former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, prays as he stands on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican after his election as pope May 8, 2025. CNS photo/Lola Gomez

Rerum Novarum, Latin for ‘of revolutionary change in the world’ Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII. Signature date May 15, 1891. Public Domain image

Official portrait of Leo XIII taken in April 1878. Wikimedia Commons image

Besides Leo XIII, 12 other popes have shared that name with new pontiff; 5 are saints

BY MICHAEL R. HEINLEIN  OSV News

ROME • When Catholics heard on May 8 the new pope had chosen the name Leo XIV, the thoughts of many turned immediately to Leo XIII, the last pope to bear the name.

That most recent Leo, who served as pope from 1878 to 1903, is especially remembered for articulating the Church’s teaching on social justice in a rapidly changing and ever industrialized society. He was also interested in promoting the political, theological and philosophical vision of St. Augustine, the namesake and inspiration of the new pope’s religious congregation, and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Leo XIII was also known as “the Rosary Pope” for his unmatched 11 encyclical letters on Marian devotion.

Aside from Leo XIII, himself not canonized, there have been 12 others who share a name with the new pope, and five of those predecessors attained the heights of sanctity and have been proclaimed saints.

The first pope to bear the name, Pope Leo the Great (c. 400-461), truly had the character of a lion, from which the familiar papal name draws its meaning. A bold defender of the faith amid times of controversy and division, Leo is also remembered for successfully persuading

Attila the Hun to spare Italy from an intended invasion of Italy. In doing so, Leo the Great is credited as one of the most influential patristic-era popes, who greatly increased the Church’s influence and authority.

Leo the Great was a steady and sure leader amid many threats to the peace and stability of Roman culture at his time, including famine, disease, poverty and a rise in immigration.

His homilies and writings are evidence of the teaching that helped the Church overcome various Christological controversies in the fifth century, in the lead up to the Council of Chalcedon in 451. For his doctrinal clarity and ability to articulate unity, Leo the Great was declared a doctor of the Church in 1754, one of only two popes so designated.

Pope Benedict XVI said that Leo the Great taught the Church “to believe in Christ, true God and true Man, and to implement this faith every day in action for peace and love of neighbor.”

St. Leo II (611-683), who was elected Peter’s successor two centuries later, only reigned for just under nine months. Remembered for a love of music and a unique skill for preaching, Leo II’s brief pontificate is best remembered today through various hymns he composed for the Liturgy of the Hours.

St. Leo III, who reigned as pope for

New pope chooses ‘Leo’

Continued from 15 invading Italy in 452.

Pope Leo X, pope from 1513-1521, was the last pope not to have been a priest at the time of his election to the papacy.

The new pope’s predecessor, Pope Francis, was the first pontiff since Pope Lando in 913 to choose an entirely new papal name. Before him, Pope

John Paul I, elected in 1978, also broke with tradition by forgoing a numeral, though his name was a blend of his two immediate predecessors’ names. By contrast, Leo is among the most frequently taken names by a pope, with only Benedict, Gregory and John having been chosen more often. Of the 13 previous popes named Leo, five are canonized as saints.

nearly two decades before his death in 816, crowned Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor in 800.

St. Leo IV, whose eight-year pontificate ended in 855, restored several churches in Rome after Muslim invaders plundered the sacred structures.

The relics of popes Leo II, Leo III and Leo IV are enshrined in an altar in St. Peter’s Basilica, close to another altar that contains the relics of St. Leo the Great.

The most recently sainted Leo, St. Leo IX (1002-1054), brought reform to the Church, reiterating mandatory clerical celibacy and defending the Church’s belief in Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist amid scandal.

A native of modern-day France, Leo IX was allegedly born with red crosses marking his entire body, considered by some as a form of the stigmata. Divisions between Eastern and Western halves of the Church intensified during his pontificate, with the Great Schism coming amid the interregnum just after his death.

The relics of St. Leo IX are also separately enshrined in an altar in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Michael Heinlein writes for OSV News from Rome.

St. Leo the Great (Pope Leo I), by Francisco de Herrera el Mozo (1622-1685): Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain. Public domain image

New pope calls for Christian witness in world that finds faith ‘absurd’

BY JUSTIN MCLELLAN  Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY • Where Christians are “mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied” is where the Catholic Church’s “missionary outreach is most desperately needed,” Pope Leo XIV said in his first homily as leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

 “This is the world that has been entrusted to us ...”

Today, “there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent, settings where other securities are preferred, like technology, money, success, power or pleasure,” the new Pope told cardinals May 9 during Mass in the Sistine Chapel.

“This is the world that has been entrusted to us, a world in which, as Pope Francis taught us so many times, we are called to bear witness to our joyful faith

in Jesus the savior,” he said.

The day after his election, the new Pope returned to the chapel where his fellow 132 cardinals elected him Pope – the first U.S. citizen, first Peruvian citizen, first Augustinian friar and likely the first Chicago White Sox fan to become pope – to celebrate his first Mass with the College of Cardinals.

Wearing black shoes instead of the traditional red associated with the papacy and walking into the Sistine Chapel carrying Pope Benedict XIV’s papal ferula, or staff, the Pope processed into the chapel.

The

Pope Leo XIV gives his homily while celebrating his first Mass as pope May 9, 2025. CNS photo/Vatican Media

After two women proclaimed the Mass Readings in English and Spanish – a possible nod to the new pope’s U.S. and Peruvian background – he greeted the cardinals in English, marking his first public use of the language.

“Through the ministry of Peter, you have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission,” he said, “and I know I can rely on each and every one of you to walk with me as we continue as a Church, as a community of friends of Jesus, as believers, to announce the good news, to announce the Gospel.”

For the full text of the homily delivered by Pope Leo during the first Mass since his papal election, visit TrentonMonitor.com and click on FROM THE POPE.



cardinals who elected Pope Leo XIV gather for his first Mass in the Sistine Chapel.

The Mass, largely in Latin, was celebrated at a portable altar brought into the Sistine Chapel, as opposed to the fixed altar which requires the celebrant to face East, away from the congregation.

In his homily, spoken in Italian, Pope Leo said God had called him to be a “faithful administrator” of the church so that she may be “a beacon that illumines the dark nights of this world.”

“And this, not so much through the magnificence of her structures or the grandeur of her buildings, like the monuments among which we find ourselves, but rather through the holiness of her members,” he said, standing before Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel.

Reflecting on Jesus’ question to the apostle Peter in St. Matthew’s Gospel – “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” – Pope Leo said one might find two possible responses: the world’s, which considers Jesus “a completely insignificant person” who becomes “irksome because of his demands for honesty and his stern moral requirements,” and that of ordinary people, who see him as an “upright man, one who has courage, who speaks well and says the right things.”

“Even today, there are many settings in which the Christian faith is considered absurd, meant for the weak and unintelligent,” he said. In these settings, “a lack of faith is often tragically accompanied by the loss of meaning in life, the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society,” the Pope said.

And in many settings in which Jesus is appreciated, the Pope said, he can be “reduced to a kind of charismatic leader or superman.”

“This is true not only among nonbelievers but also among many baptized Christians, who thus end up living, at this level, in a state of practical atheism,” he said. “Therefore, it is essential that we too repeat, with Peter: ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’”

“I say this first of all to myself, as the

successor of Peter, as I begin my mission as bishop of Rome,” he said. Referencing St. Ignatius of Antioch, he said the commitment for all who exercise authority in the church is “to move aside so that

Christ may remain, to make oneself small so that he may be known and glorified, to spend oneself to the utmost so that all may have the opportunity to know and love him.”

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Pope Leo’s election reflected unity, not nationality, U.S. cardinals say

BY CINDY WOODEN  Catholic News Service

ROME • While it is interesting and perhaps even a point of pride that the new Pope Leo XIV was born in the United States, most of the U.S.-based cardinals who participated in the conclave that elected him said nationality was not a factor.

“I think the impact of him being an American was almost negligible in the deliberations of the conclave and surprisingly so,” Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington told reporters May 9 during a news conference at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

 “[Pope Leo is] a citizen of the world.”

“What surprised me was the real absence of that being a key question at all,” the Cardinal said.

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York said, “The fact that he was born in the United States of America, boy, that’s a sense of pride and gratitude for us,” but the new pope is also a citizen of Peru. And he has worked in the Roman Curia as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops for the past two years.

“He’s a citizen of the world,” Cardinal Dolan said.

“Where he comes from is now sort of a thing of the past. You know, Robert Francis Prevost is no longer around. It’s now Pope Leo,” the cardinal said. “He’s the pontiff of the Church universal.

Where he came from, (that’s) secondary.”

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark has known Pope Leo for 30 years; they were in Rome together in the late 1990s and early 2000s when Cardinal Tobin was superior general of the Redemptorists and Pope Leo was superior of the Augustinian friars. More recently, Cardinal Tobin served as a member of the Dicastery for Bishops, where then-Cardinal Robert F. Prevost was prefect.

Talking about the new pope’s international experience, Cardinal Tobin first referred to him as “Bob” and then corrected himself, “Pope Leo.”

Describing the new pope’s leadership style, Cardinal Tobin said, “I don’t think he’s one that likes to pick fights, but he is not one to back down if the cause is just. And I guess the last thing I’d say about Bob is that he really is a listener, and then he acts.”

Cardinal Tobin said that during the actual election in the Sistine Chapel, when he went up to cast his ballot as the outcome became clearer, he walked by then-Cardinal Prevost, “who had his head in his hands.”

“I was praying for him, because I couldn’t imagine what happens to a human being when you’re facing something like that. And then when he accepted it, it was like he was made for it,” the cardinal said. “All of the anguish or whatever was resolved by feeling – I think – that this wasn’t simply his saying yes to a proposal, but that God had made something clear, and he agreed with that.”

The cardinals were asked to what extent could people interpret the election of Pope Leo as a reflection of the cardinals to offer a counterweight to recent political developments in the United States that have had global impacts.

Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, the

retired archbishop of Washington, said, “The cardinals were quite aware of things that have occurred in the United States, statements that have been made, political actions that have been taken.”

“But what the cardinals were concerned about primarily, at least from my conversations with them,” Cardinal Gregory said, “was, ‘Who among us can bring us together; who among us can strengthen the faith and bring the faith to places where it has grown weak, bring the faith to places where there seems to be less enthusiasm or appreciation of the common things that draw us together?’”

The cardinals at the news conference all mentioned that those going into the conclave were looking for someone who could proclaim the Gospel and strengthen the unity of the Church while also continuing the approach and projects of Pope Francis.

Pope Leo: A pope is nothing more than a humble servant

BY CAROL GLATZ  Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY • The Catholic community is alive, beautiful and strong, and it is up to its pastors to protect and nourish the faithful and to help bring God’s hope to the whole world, Pope Leo XIV said.

For that reason, the Pope invited the Cardinals “to renew together today our complete commitment to the path that the universal Church has now followed for decades in the wake of the Second Vatican Council,” and that “Pope Francis masterfully and concretely set it forth in the apostolic exhortation ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ (‘The Joy of the Gospel’)”, he said May 10, in his first formal speech to the College of Cardinals.

 The Catholic Church is “the womb from which we were born ...”

He also said that he chose his name in homage to Pope Leo XIII, recognizing the need to renew Catholic social teaching to face today’s new industrial revolution and the developments of artificial intelligence “that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor.”

The Pope, who was elected in a conclave of 133 cardinal electors on the fourth ballot May 8, met with members of the college, including non-electors, in the New Synod Hall at the Vatican.

Pope Leo told the cardinals that after his “short talk with some reflections,” which the Vatican press office published,

they would have “a sort of dialogue,” which many of them had asked for, “to hear what advice, suggestions, proposals, concrete things, which have already been discussed in the days leading up to the conclave.” Those discussions in the closed-door meeting were not published.

In the text that was released, the Pope said the events of the past three weeks, beginning with Pope Francis’ final days, his death and funeral, have allowed them “to see the beauty and feel the strength of this immense community, which with such affection and devotion has greeted and mourned its shepherd, accompanying him with faith and prayer at the time of his final encounter with the Lord.”

“We have seen the true grandeur of the Church, which is alive in the rich variety of her members in union with her one head, Christ,” Pope Leo said.

The Catholic Church is “the womb from which we were born and at the same time the flock, the field entrusted to us to protect and cultivate, to nourish with the sacraments of salvation and to make fruitful by our sowing the seed of the Word, so that, steadfast in one accord and enthusiastic in mission, she may press forward, like the Israelites in the desert, in the shadow of the cloud and in the light of God’s fire,” he said.

Because of that, the Pope asked the Cardinals to renew together their “complete commitment” to the Church’s post-Vatican II journey, which was detailed in Pope Francis’ 2013 apostolic exhortation on the proclamation of the Gospel in today’s world.

“I would like to highlight several fundamental points” from the document, he said: “the return to the primacy of Christ in proclamation; the missionary conversion of the entire Christian community; growth in collegiality and synodality; at-

tention to the ‘sensus fidei’ (the people of God’s sense of the faith), especially in its most authentic and inclusive forms, such as popular piety; loving care for the least and the rejected; courageous and trusting dialogue with the contemporary world in its various components and realities.”

“Sensing myself called to continue in this same path, I chose to take the name Leo XIV” for several reasons, he said, but mainly because Pope Leo XIII, “in his historic encyclical ‘Rerum Novarum’ addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution.”

Today, the Church continues to offer “everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human

dignity, justice and labor,” he added.

Pope Leo XIV, the first pope from the United States, said that, “beginning with St. Peter and up to myself, his unworthy successor, the pope has been a humble servant of God and of his brothers and sisters, and nothing more than this.”

Many popes, and most recently Pope Francis, demonstrated this with his “complete dedication to service and to sober simplicity of life, his abandonment to God throughout his ministry and his serene trust at the moment of his return to the Father’s house,” he said.

“Let us take up this precious legacy and continue on the journey, inspired by the same hope that is born of faith,” he said, reminding the cardinals that it is “the risen Lord, present among us, who protects and guides the Church, and

continues to fill her with hope.”

“It is up to us to be docile listeners to his voice and faithful ministers of his plan of salvation, mindful that God loves to communicate himself, not in the roar of thunder and earthquakes, but in the ‘whisper of a gentle breeze’ or, as some translate it, in a ‘sound of sheer silence,’” he said.

“It is this essential and important encounter to which we must guide and accompany all the holy people of God entrusted to our care,” he said.

Thanking the cardinals for their role as the pope’s closest collaborators, he said their presence has proven to be “a great comfort to me in accepting a yoke clearly far beyond my own limited powers, as it would be for any of us.”

God, too, “will not leave me alone in bearing its responsibility,” he said, and he

knew he would also be able to count on the closeness of “so many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world who believe in God, love the Church and support the vicar of Christ by their prayers and good works.”

He concluded his remarks by embracing the hope St. Paul VI expressed at the inauguration of his Petrine ministry in 1963 and he invited them to do the same.

St. Paul prayed that hope “pass over the whole world like a great flame of faith and love kindled in all men and women of goodwill. May it shed light on paths of mutual cooperation and bless humanity abundantly, now and always, with the very strength of God, without whose help nothing is valid, nothing is holy,” he said, quoting the saint.

Pope Leo XIV speaks with the College of Cardinals in the New Synod Hall at the Vatican May 10, 2025, during his first formal address to the college since his election May 8. CNS photo/Vatican Media

Bishop and Diocese’s faithful give thanks for election of Pope Leo XIV

BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

“We have a pope!”

Those were the simple, but exuberant words that Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., proclaimed at the start of a diocesan Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated May 10 in St. Gregory the Great Church, Hamilton Square. His words were met with a resounding round of applause from the congregation.

“All of us throughout the Diocese of Trenton are joyful in a special way as we celebrate the election of Pope Leo XIV as our Holy Father. All of us pray for him. We pray for his good health and we pray for his success as he leads us in the Church,” the Bishop said.

 “We pray for his good health, and we pray for his success as he leads us ...”

It was just two days after Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected to the papacy and became Pope Leo XIV that Bishop O’Connell gathered with members of the diocesan family to commemorate the historic new chapter in the life of the Church and pray for the intentions of the successor of St. Peter. The Bishop served as principal celebrant and homilist, joined around the altar by several priests, including Msgr. Thomas Gervasio, vicar general, and Father Michael Hall, host pastor. The Mass was livestreamed across several diocesan digital sites.

Noting how appropriate it was to hold the Mass of Thanksgiving on Good Shepherd Sunday, Bishop O’Connell, in his homily, said, “We rejoice in the image of Christ as the Good Shepherd, guiding his flock with love, wisdom and unwavering care. Today, our joy is magnified as we celebrate the election of our new American born Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, chosen to be shepherd the Church in the footsteps of Christ.”

(See companion story for more on Bishop O’Connell’s homily.)

The Holy Father was frequently remembered throughout the Mass – in the Prayers of the Faithful as well in the special intention prayed by Bishop O’Connell. “Tender and loving God, eternal shepherd of our flock, we ask you to hear our prayers, to listen to our voice, to be close to us as we give you thanks and praise that you had sent your son, Jesus, to be our Good Shep-

A St. Gregory the Great parishioner fervently prays during the Mass of Thanksgiving for Pope Leo XIV. Mike Ehrmann photos

A large turnout of faithful came for the Mass of Thanksgiving in St. Gregory the Great Church.

A mother and daughter carry the gifts of bread and wine during the Offertory.

In TV interviews, Bishop shares insights on newly elected Pope Leo XIV

BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor, and CHRISTINA LESLIE  Correspondent

Not long after Pope Leo XIV was elected to the papacy, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., was invited by several cable news outlets to offer commentary on the conclave process and the first American pope ever elected in the Church.

Bishop O’Connell spoke on air May 9 with Wolf Blitzer, co-anchor of CNN’s The Situation Room. The Bishop fielded questions and offered his observations on the direction that the Holy Father may take the Church; the reason for the Holy Father’s choosing the name Leo and what it says about his priorities, and political challenges the Holy Father is likely to encounter in his papacy, namely the immigration issue and his being the first pope from the United States to be elected.

 “He was asking the world to be welcoming and loving ... that’s a good way to start.”

Bishop O’Connell pointed to the possible influence that the Holy Father’s identity and background as a religious order might have in his new role. “Anyone who is a religious, bring with them the charism and the spirit of their order to their position,” Bishop O’Connell said, who is, himself, a religious order bishop. “Pope Francis did that as a Jesuit and now Pope Leo will do that as an Augustinian.”

Bishop O’Connell added that he found the Holy Father’s first message to the world to be “very comforting and

consoling.”

“He was offering to the world peace, and he was asking the world to be welcoming and loving toward everyone. I think that’s a very good message; that’s a good way to start,” said the Bishop.

In one of several interviews the Bishop O’Connell did with NewsNation since the papal election, he spoke with host Connell McShane, explaining what the faithful might anticipate about

the new pope’s charism of faith as one of the Augustinian order. Noting that the order was named for St. Augustine of Hippo, the Bishop said, “It was an important order in the Church which emphasizes peace, fellowship, community and a charism of education.”

When McShane pointed out the short length of the conclave which decided upon Cardinal Prevost as Pope, the Bishop admitted candidly, “I was very,

Screenshot from Bishop O’Connell’s interview with CNN.

Screenshot from Bishop O’Connell’s interview with News Nation.

very surprised.” He added, “Given the work I have done during the course of my priesthood, I have known almost every single American cardinal, but Cardinal Prevost was one I had never met.”

The Bishop noted that so many watching the delib-

cardinal from Chicago had a chance “because America is such a superpower … [but] he has dual citizenship [U.S. and Peru], was a great missionary … he’s been superior of his order, he’s a canon lawyer, he taught in the seminary, was a judicial vicar in the diocese, and was close to Pope Francis.”

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When the subject of favorite sports teams came up, Bishop O’Connell pointed out that unlike Pope Leo’s long-time affinity for the Chicago White Sox, the Bishop is, was and always has been a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies. Turning back to a more serious topic, the Bishop referred to the papacy as “a tough job, and it takes a lot out of you. I don’t know who would want it,” the Bishop said as the host smiled. “My hand is not raised for that job.”

Yet another journalist with NewsNation, Laura Ingle, interviewed Bishop O’Connell on possible Church reform and how the new pope might weigh

in on that issue. The Bishop responded, “The very first words he spoke from the loggia were ‘Peace be with you,’ the first words Jesus spoke after his Resurrection… in a sense, I think it sets an agenda … that he is seeking peace and will do everything he can to promote peace in the world.”

The Bishop agreed that Pope Leo’s upbringing in the Chicago area may indeed be an influence on his ministry but reminded the host that fully half of his ministry was exercised while he was in Peru.

“I am very excited to hear and see what will happen as he leads us in the Church,” Bishop O’Connell said.

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Sea Girt deacon recalls encounter with then-Cardinal Prevost at Jubilee of Deacons

BY DEACON JOSEPH V. STILLO  Special Contributor

As the white smoke cleared, the expectant world celebrated as Americanborn, Villanovaeducated Cardinal Prevost emerged on the papal balcony as Pope Leo XIV.

I now reflect … on that moment as both surreal and sobering, considering that two months earlier, I had had a personal and blessed (and selfie- captured) encounter with the future successor of Peter, the Vicar of Christ.

I immediately tried to recall his words to us deacons. I couldn’t help but pray that this holy man would effectively navigate the challenges ahead and fill “the Shoes of the Fisherman” as a conduit for the Holy Spirit and love of Christ.

On Feb 21, 2025, at the kickoff to the Jubilee of Deacons in Rome at the Basilica di Sant’ Andrea della Valle, a few hundred English-speaking deacons were deeply honored to be welcomed by

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV. In his opening comments, Cardinal Prevost read from Acts 6, recounting the formation of the diaconate, emphasizing the need to allow space in our hearts for guidance by the Holy Spirit.

He shared his love for the diaconate and thanked us for our call to the multifaceted dimension of service in this unique and essential role whose mission remains vital to the life of the Church as renewed by Vatican II.

Cardinal Prevost said that Pope Francis reminded us, as an argument against clericalism, that no one can elevate themselves above the people of God but … consistent with the citadel Church, we should walk together, to listen to one another, and to search together for what it is the Lord passed to us, i.e. , a diaconal Church – a Church of service.

He (also) acknowledged the profound role of wives and families of deacons in supporting their sacred vocation.

As an Augustinian, he reminded us of the counsel of St. Augustine who stated that, in order to move forward with the spiritual life, we need to remember three things: first, be humble, second, be humble, and third, be humble.

 “Without humility, we never move forward in our lives of faith ...”

“Without humility, we never move forward in our lives of faith, in our spiritual pathway, which for all of us leads us through the Church to the Lord,” he said. The profile of the deacon is to recognize the Lord in those who are in need of food, of love. He concluded, “You have already shown the Lord that you want to serve, that you have given your lives. Go forward with this with great generosity.”

Deacon Joseph V. Stillo serves as a deacon in St. Mark Parish, Sea Girt.

Selfie of Deacon Stillo with then-Cardinal Prevost.

Then-Cardinal Prevost addresses deacons attending the Jubilee of Deacons in Rome last month. Courtesy photos

Pleasantly surprised

Continued from 29

and priorities.

priest and his deep connection to St. Augustine.

“St. Augustine is the most frequently quoted theologian in the Catechism and has been a profound influence on my own spiritual life and ministry,” said Father Parzynski, pastor of St. David the King Parish, Princeton Junction. Additionally, he said he views Pope Leo’s missionary background and a clear focus on evangelization to be “incredibly inspiring.

“It’s a strong reminder that the Church’s mission remains outward-focused, calling us to bring the Gospel to the world,” he said.

Father Parzynski said that many of his parishioners are expressing a sense of anticipation and curiosity about Pope Leo being that he has not been particularly public prior to his election.

While the general sentiment seems to be an eagerness to see what direction he will take the Church and how he will choose to lead, Father Parzynski said, a good indication can be gleaned from the Holy Father’s opening homily on May 9 that “gave us a good sense of his focus

“By drawing on the teachings of St. Augustine and quoting St. Ignatius of Antioch, the most Eucharistic of the Church Fathers, he emphasized the need to know Christ deeply and to understand that following him carries specific expectations,” Father Parzynski said.

“Personally, I am hopeful for this papacy,” Father Parzynski said. “I pray that Pope Leo XIV will have the strength, wisdom and compassion to reach out and bring healing to the divisions within the Church.

“If we can come together as a single, united Body of Christ, we will be far more effective in reaching those who are lost and bringing them into the light and love of Christ,” he said.

FATHER JOHN FOLCHETTI, PASTOR, ST. LEO THE GREAT PARISH, LINCROFT:

Parishioners of St. Leo the Great Parish, Lincroft, were “so excited” to learn that the new Pope took the name Leo – a name already dear to their hearts, with their parish named for the first Pope Leo.

“It’s just fantastic,” said Father John Folchetti, pastor. “We consider it such an honor. The parishioners all clapped on Sunday.”

Father Folchetti said the parish looks forward to celebrating the new Pope in a special way in the upcoming weeks. He noted that Pope Leo himself explained that “he chose the name to honor Pope Leo XIII, who was a great champion of the human person. So, it’s a very exciting time.”

LUANN KILDEA, ST. ANN PARISH, LAWRENCEVILLE:

“Iwas at work when it happened,” said Luann Kildea of where she was when she heard the news. The parishioner of St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville, works in a dialysis center in Princeton,

“and most of the patients and staff are not Catholic,” she said. However, she and her social worker – both devout Catholics – had been keeping tabs on the election.

“We were very excited that it could happen at any moment,” she said. “One of the staff members who is not Catholic yelled from the break room, ‘there’s white smoke!’ So, my social worker and I put EWTN on our computers and watched.”

The best feeling, Kildea said, was “seeing all these non-Catholic Christians who were so interested in this, so excited about it. They were asking me ‘what does it mean? What does the Pope do?’ We thought this was a great opportunity to share our faith and teach others about it.

“I’m hoping for a lot of unity in the Church, that we can really build it back up,” she said.

TIM and MELISSA HITZEL, ST. ANN PARISH, LAWRENCEVILLE:

“I thought there’s no chance it will be an American – but after I have learned more about him, he’s very international,” said Tim Hitzel, parishioner of St. Ann, Lawrenceville. “It makes perfect sense, having spent a lot of time in Peru and Italy. A man of the world!”

“I’m extremely hopeful for our future,” Melissa Hitzel agreed. “I like the fact that he, like Francis, he is interested in the poor and the less fortunate, and that he looks out for the underdog.”

FRANK PREZIOSO, ST. VINCENT DE PAUL PARISH, YARDVILLE:

“I was elated beyond words – an American!” said Frank Prezioso, member of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Yardville. He’s the Holy Father, and I’m going to respect his authority. … I feel this great elation, I feel alive. I’m excited to see what he’s going to do. He’s gotta be the new ‘rock.’”

JOHN and JESSICA TROMBINO, ST. VINCENT DE PAUL PARISH, YARDVILLE:

“I’m a big believer in the power of God and spirituality and how the Holy

Father Jason Parzynski is shown during a Mass celebrated in St. David the King Church, Princeton Junction, where he serves as pastor. Monitor file photo

Father John Folchetti

Spirit works in our lives – so when I watched the media coverage of the pope being chosen, it bothered me because they look at it like a [political] election,” said John Trombino, parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Yardville, with his wife Jessica. “I think of it as the Holy Spirit is working through them, and God doesn’t make mistakes. Whether I agree with what the pope says or does, I know beyond any reasonable doubt that he is there because that’s who God wants there, and he’s there to be the successor of Peter.”

“I was excited because it’s not every day you have a successor of St. Peter, our beloved pope,” Jessica said “Immediately I wanted to research him because I don’t know much about him, and so upon research I am just praying for our Pope Leo, and I just trust in God’s will being done.”

John noted that the Body of Christ “is not separate in America from the Body of Christ in Italy … I look at him

as a Christian, a Catholic, and then an American. And yes, I still have a little bit of pride!”

Shocked that the new pope is a Chicago native, Jessica said “I’ll be honest, I feel like we are in some prophetic times, so it’s going to be interesting to see our new pope, how he’s going to incorporate

his American culture with the way he moves forward in the papacy.

She got the impression that Pope Leo XIV will keep some of Pope Francis’ charisms in mind, and she loved his first papal blessing. “ It’s an incredible moment for him. He’s so young – I have a feeling he’ll be around for a while!”

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At left, patrons toast the new pope at a party at Leonardo’s II restaurant, Lawrenceville. Pictured right are Leonardo’s owner Robert Pluta and his cousin Mary Escudero. Courtesy photos

Diocese’s native offers Peruvian perspective on Pope Leo’s vision

BY MARY STADNYK  Associate Editor

Having lived and ministered among the people of Peru since 1982, Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Eileen Egan can honestly speak to the energy and enthusiasm the South American country’s people have shown toward the election of Pope Leo XIV.

“They are so happy to have the Holy Father as one of their own,” said Sister Eileen, a native of the Diocese of Trenton. Our Lady Queen of Peace, Hainesport, is her home parish and she graduated from Sacred Heart School, Mount Holly, and Trenton Catholic High School.

In her more than four decades in Peru, Sister Eileen served in Lima before relocating to the small city of Sicuani,

which is located in the southern Andes Mountains, about 11,000 feet above sea level, where she works in parish ministry.

The day of Pope Leo’s May 8 election, Sister Eileen said it was around noon when she was exercising in a diocesan physical therapy center. As she was preparing to return to her parish, she heard the announcement on the radio that Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States was the new Pope.

“All of the physical therapists ran over and hugged me,” she said. “Then I told them that he was also a Peruvian citizen, so we had another round of hugs to celebrate that fact!”

Sister Eileen reflected on some of the recent social media photos which “visually express the essence of Pope Leo’s missionary vocation.” One photo shows him on horseback in Northern Peru as

he travels to those who live beyond the reach of a road in the Andes mountains; in another photo he’s wearing high rubber boots while visiting the people of Chiclayo who were affected by heavy rains caused by “El Niño,” which is a warm current in the Pacific Ocean running down the coast every 10 years or so, and a photo showing Bishop Prevost serving himself from a tin dish from a common pot at a pastoral gathering.

 “I knew that he was opting for social justice ...”

When Pope Leo bestowed his first blessing after the election, Sister Eileen was heartened when he asked permission to speak in Spanish during which he greeted his flock in Chiclayo. He said, “My dear people of Chiclayo, Peru, you were so faithful in accompanying me when I was your bishop. You have shared your faith with me and have given so much, so much. Continue your commitment to the Church that Jesus has given us.”

Upon hearing that he chose the name Leo XIV, Sister Eileen said she immediately recalled Leo XIII’s Encyclical, “Rerum Novarum,” on the rights of workers.

“I knew that he was opting for social justice in the spirit of Pope Francis’ preoccupation for the poor and marginalized,” she said.

Pragmatically, Sister Eileen added that while “Most of us will not be riding horses out into the Andes mountains or dipping our dinner out of a common pot anytime soon, those experiences of touching the marginalized in a very real way leave one with a sense of compassion and zeal to join the struggle to alleviate the suffering of the disenfranchised.

“We know what it means to confront unjust systems that leave many crying out in hunger while others are simply unaware of their plight,” she said.

Sister Eileen Egan shares corn and beans from the her garden with those in need in 2020. The IHM Sisters have served in Peru since 1965. Facebook photo

Seventh grade students in St. Rose Grammar School, Belmar, spent the morning of May 8 voting for who they thought was going to be elected Pope. It turns out they were able to see the results in real time!

Conclave Prayer and Excitement

Highly anticipating the announcement from Rome, Catholic school students of the Diocese followed the news closely with “smoke watch parties,” cast their own ballots to vote for their papal picks and kept prayerful vigil.

These little learners in St. Peter School Point Pleasant Beach, make Pope puppets to celebrate the excitement of the Conclave. Courtesy

Prior to the start of the Conclave, students from St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel, pray for the cardinals during their last allschool Mass May 6. Courtesy photo

Facebook photo

The students in St. Ann School, Lawrenceville, pay close attention to the happenings during the opening Mass of the Conclave. Facebook photo

photo

In St. Mary Academy, Manahawkin, the students were focused on the historic events unfolding before their eyes. Facebook photo

Sixth grade students in St. Charles Borromeo School, Cinnaminson, “adopted a cardinal” and prayed for that cardinal during the Conclave. Facebook photo

We have a Pope! Students in St. Mary of the Lakes School, Medford, watch as Pope Leo XIV is introduced to the world. Facebook photo

On Wednesday, students in St. Paul School, Princeton, cast their own Conclave ballot for 14 of the cardinal electors. The winner of the SPS Conclave was Cardinal Pizzaballa! Facebook photo