Catholics across the region celebrated the historic announcement on Thursday, May 8, 2025, that the first American pope in the 2,000-year history of the church, Robert Francis Prevost, was born and raised in the Chicago area. The faithful marveled that they will now be led by a relatable local boy who grew up in the south suburbs, cheers for the White Sox, and hits up Aurelio’s pizza when he comes back home.
In his first words as Pope Leo XIV, the 69-year-old Prevost proclaimed, “Peace be with you,” invoking a message of dialogue, unity, and care for those in need from Vatican City. “When I heard the news of the new Holy Father at that moment, at least here in Chicago, the sun came out,” said the Rev. Greg Sakowicz, rector of Holy Name Cathedral. Some would say the sunny weather was just a coincidence, Sakowicz acknowledged, but “a coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous,” he added.
Prevost, a longtime missionary and member of the Augustinian religious order, made his first appearance on the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica on Thursday wearing the traditional red cape of the papacy. “God loves us, all of us, evil will not prevail,” he told the world in his first message as pope. “We are all in the hands of God. Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we will go forward.”
Growing up in the Chicago area, Robert Prevost often played “pretend priest,” his older brother John Prevost recalled after the announcement. The younger brother would set up a table draped in a white cloth and recite prayers. “He did that all the time. He took it totally serious, it was not a game,” John Prevost said Thursday outside his home in New Lenox. John described his brother as someone with a natural calmness and deep patience, qualities that have shaped his path to becoming pope. He believes these traits embody the spirit of a “second Pope Francis,” particularly in his compassion for immigrants and the poor.
Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, and his Catholic roots were planted in the south suburbs, where he lived in Dolton with his parents and two brothers. He grew up in St. Mary of the Assumption parish on the Far South Side, attending school, singing in the choir, and serving as an altar boy. Marianne Angarola, 69, who was in the same class as Prevost, remembers him as a good singer who “cared about people” and “looked for the good in things.”
St. Mary’s closed years ago and went into a state of disrepair, but Angarola and others have kept up with his career, following along on the Internet for updates as he rose through the ranks of the church. “He was the pride and joy of every priest and nun in that school,” Angarola said. Another St. Mary’s classmate, Peggy Wurtz, recalled Prevost singing at midnight Mass with his mother, who was also a talented vocalist. Wurtz said she was intimidated by his intelligence, even in grade school, recalling how he won first prize at the fifth-grade science fair.
Prevost’s father, Louis, was an educator who led Glenwood School District 167 and served as principal of the now-defunct Mount Carmel Elementary School in Chicago Heights. He died in 1997. The elementary school closed in 1990, around the same time as its parish’s church, St. Rocco. After a push from some of the parish’s fiercely loyal members, St. Rocco Oratory, housed in a new yet smaller building in Chicago Heights, reopened, holding its first Mass on Christmas Day in 1998.
While the Rev. Michael Gilligan, the church’s priest since 2000, didn’t personally know Prevost or his late father, he was “flabbergasted” that a “local boy” is the new pope. “All the experts said an American will never be elected,” Gilligan said. “And to have an American who comes from the town where I live, the parish that I serve in Chicago Heights — it’s really amazing.”
Prevost’s mother, Mildred, was a librarian who worked at Holy Name Cathedral, Von Steuben High School on the North Side, and Mendel Catholic Prep. She died in 1990 after decades of service to St. Mary’s Church. The street where Prevost grew up is lined with small brick cottages similar to the one he was raised in. The house was recently renovated and is listed for $199,900. On Thursday afternoon, Courtni Porter stood with a pair of real estate agents in the home’s backyard, noting the house’s beauty and its recent renovations.
After graduating from St. Mary’s in 1969, Prevost attended St. Augustine Seminary High School in Michigan. He later lived at the now-shuttered Tolentine seminary in south suburban Olympia Fields before attending Villanova University in Pennsylvania. John Merkelis, president of Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox, recalled befriending Prevost at St. Augustine Seminary in 1970. “He’s the one who kind of told me what an Augustinian is,” Merkelis said. “I thought ahead of time that he would have been a great pope. He is remarkably intelligent. He always has been humble. He’s very, very faith-filled.”
Prevost went on to earn a degree in theology from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and was ordained a priest in Rome. He studied there until 1984, shuttling between church leadership positions in Chicago and Peru until 2023. He returned to Chicago in 1998 to lead the order’s Midwest province and later as its worldwide leader. During that time, he came under fire for his handling of two sex abuse cases involving Augustinian priests in the area, which has raised concerns among some advocates.
James Egan, a spokesperson for SNAP, expressed disappointment in Prevost’s selection as pope, stating, “It certainly does not give us a lot of hope right now. It hurts.” Despite these worries, Egan said he hopes SNAP can collaborate with Prevost to end abuse. Prevost was named apostolic administrator and then bishop of Chiclayo, in northern Peru, in 2014, and in 2023, Pope Francis appointed him to lead the Vatican’s bishops’ office.
As word of the new pope spread, local politicians expressed pride. State Rep. Norine Hammond beamed with pride that the new pontiff was originally from Illinois. “We have a pope from Chicago, Illinois,” she said to applause in the House chamber. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also acknowledged the momentous occasion, stating, “This is one of the biggest moments in the modern history of our city.”
Close to 100 people gathered at noon Mass at Holy Name Cathedral on Thursday. When the rector announced the new pope, the crowd erupted in applause. Julie Bartholomae from Lincoln Park expressed her excitement, saying, “I think this is so exciting — a U.S. pope and he’s from Chicago.” Katherine Gehl, a parishioner at Holy Name, was brought to tears of happiness upon hearing the news, hoping the pope would promote unity.
The Rev. Tom McCarthy, who recalled Prevost as a substitute teacher at St. Rita of Cascia High School, expressed confidence in the new pope’s leadership. “I could only imagine how proud he is that one of his sons is now the pope,” McCarthy said. As the world adjusts to this historic moment, many are hopeful for the future of the Catholic Church under Pope Leo XIV’s guidance.
