A retired priest invites you to meet new people.
I would like to introduce you to . . .
The Conclave has elected Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost as the 267th Bishop of Rome, and he has taken the name Leo XIV. His roots are in Chicago, so he is the first Pope from the United States; he is also the first Augustinian Pope.
The new Bishop of Rome was born on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, to Louis Marius Prevost, of French and Italian descent, and Mildred Martínez, of Spanish descent. He has two brothers, Louis Martín and John Joseph. He first entered the Minor Seminary of the Augustinian Fathers, and then Villanova University in Pennsylvania, where in 1977 he earned a Degree in Mathematics and also studied Philosophy.
He entered the novitiate of the Order of Saint Augustine (O.S.A.) in Saint Louis that same year, September 2, 1978. On August 29, 1981, he made his solemn vows. He received his theological education at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. At the age of 27, he was sent by his superiors to Rome to study Canon Law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum).
In Rome, he was ordained a priest on June 19, 1982. He obtained his licentiate in 1984; and the following year, was sent to the Augustinian mission in Chulucanas, Piura, Peru. In 1987, he received his doctorate, and was appointed vocation director and missions director of the Augustinian Province of "Mother of Good Counsel" in Olympia Fields, Illinois. The following year, he joined the mission in Trujillo, also in Peru, as director of a formation project for Augustinians
Over the course of eleven years, he served as prior of the community (1988 - 1992), formation director (1988 - 1998), and instructor for professed members (1992 - 1998), and in the Archdiocese of Trujillo as judicial vicar (1989 - 1998) and professor of Canon Law, Patristics, and Moral Theology at the Major Seminary. At the same time, he was also entrusted with the pastoral care of the parish of Saint Rita (1988 - 1999), in a poor suburb of the city, and was parish administrator of Our Lady of Monserrat from 1992 to 1999.
In 1999, he was elected Provincial Prior of the Augustinian Province of "Mother of Good Counsel" in Chicago, and two and a half years later, the Ordinary General Chapter of the Order of Saint Augustine, elected him as Prior General, confirming him in 2007 for a second term.
In October 2013, he returned to his Augustinian Province in Chicago, serving as director of formation, first councilor, and provincial vicar — roles he held until Pope Francis appointed him on November 3, 2014 as Apostolic Administrator of the Peruvian Diocese of Chiclayo, elevating him to the episcopal dignity as Titular Bishop of the Diocese Sufar.
He entered the Diocese on November 7, in the presence of Apostolic Nuncio James Patrick Green, who ordained him Bishop just over a month later. His episcopal motto is "In Illo uno unum" — words pronounced by Saint Augustine in a sermon on Psalm 127 to explain that "although we Christians are many, in the one Christ we are one."
On September 26, 2015, he was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo by Pope Francis. In March 2018, he was elected second vice-president of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference, where he also served as a member of the Economic Council and as president of the Commission for Culture and Education.
In 2019, Pope Francis appointed him a member of the Congregation for the Clergy (July 13, 2019), and in 2020, a member of the Congregation for Bishops (November 21). Meanwhile, on April 15, 2020, he was also appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Peruvian Diocese of Callao.
On January 30, 2023, the Pope called him to Rome as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, promoting him to the rank of Archbishop. Pope Francis created Archbishop Prevost Cardinal in the Consistory of September 30th of that year.
As head of the Dicastery, he participated in the Pope's most recent Apostolic Journeys and in both the first and second sessions of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality, held in Rome from October 4 to 29, 2023, and from October 2 to 27, 2024, respectively.
So far, I have posted thirteen reflections — those indicated in the first column. You can click on the images there or use the navigation bar toward the top of each page. I have come to know something about these individuals over the years — often as historical figures, but sometimes in person — and I am trying to learn more, and sharing that knowledge with anyone who might be interested. So, welcome! And enjoy!
Click Image Above for the Letter
Archbishop Pérez published a Pastoral Letter on Sunday, January 5th. This letter outlines his hopes for the Church of Philadelphia over the coming years. He is asking for your help in being a part of the process. To get an overview, visit trustandhope.org by clicking the link; there, you can read the letter, as well as watch the Archbishop's video, and sign up for one of the Archdiocesan Consultation Sessions and learn even more.
Jubilee 2025
Jubilee 2025 will begin on December 29, 2024, when the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican will be opened. The Jubilee will conclude with the closing of the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican on January 6, 2026. The theme of the Jubilee is "Hope does not disappoint." Pope Francis prays that the Jubilee will be a moment of genuine personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the door of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere, and to all as "our hope."
During Jubilee 2000, I was blessed to attend the Jubilee of People with Disabilities. Click here for my memories of that "Weekend in Rome."
BECOME A JUBILEE 2025 VOLUNTEER
If you are over 18 and want to have a special — and active — experience of the Holy Year, by assisting the numerous pilgrims who will be in Rome to enter through the Holy Door, this is your chance!
You can offer your service for one or more weeks, or for specific jubilee events, in a unique experience: helping those in need of assistance and information along the pilgrimage routes that lead to the Holy Doors of Rome's four Pontifical Basilicas.
It seems to me that this would be a great opportunity for a college student or other young adult — or possibly a high school teacher — who is into his or her Catholic faith to experience the Jubilee and interact with other volunteers and pilgrims from all over the world. Seminarians and male and female novices in religious communities who wish to volunteer require the written approval of their rector or formator. Knowledge of the Italian language is preferable, but not mandatory. If you have any language skills, it seems to me that you will have opportunities to use them with pilgrims and with other volunteers.
Other basic requirements are:
"A proper sense of history can help each of us to develop a better sense of proportion and perspective in coming to understand reality as it is and not as we imagine it or would prefer reality to be."
"The Church must be loved as she is; otherwise we do not love her at all, or what we love is only a figment of our imagination. Church history helps us to see the real Church and to love the Church as she truly exists, and love what she has learned and continues to learn from her mistakes and failures. A Church that even in her darkest moments is conscious of her deepest identity can be capable of understanding the imperfect and wounded world in which she lives. In her efforts to bring healing and renewal to the world, she will use the same means by which she strives to heal and renew herself, even if she at times does not succeed."
"This can serve as a corrective to the misguided approach that would view reality only from a triumphalist defense of our function or role."
Click here for text of the Pope's letter.
The archdiocese's full report includes the names of 99 people who were enslaved, 44 of whom were owned by clergy and diocesan bishops, including Bishop DuBourg, Bishop Rosati and Archbishop Peter Kenrick. There also is information on additional clergy members who were involved in the sales of enslaved people between other clergy, or who rented or had some authority over enslaved people, but did not legally hold them as property.
In 2018, the Office of Archives and Records began researching the archdiocese's involvement in the institution of slavery. In the fall of 2020, Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski authorized an expansion of the previous efforts, and the project was formally named "Forgive Us Our Trespasses" in early 2021. He laid out two goals for the project: to promote open and honest access to historic records of enslavement within the local Catholic Church; and to promote community engagement and encourage dialog on the legacies of slavery in the local community.
From a research perspective, those who prepared the report said that it's important to let the information speak for itself, but it's also critical to acknowledge the sins of the Church and seek forgiveness. "It's important to acknowledge it was harmful and caused pain to individuals and families. You can't move on as a community and work toward healing and hope without acknowledging the sin and sorrow first."