Chicago Archdiocese marks 1 year since Pope Leo XIV’s election

Nieva Mehta sat in the last row of the first block of pews at Holy Name Cathedral Friday afternoon — the same seat she claims for nearly every Mass.

But this Friday’s gathering was a little different.

Dozens attended Friday Mass at the Near North Side cathedral for a celebration marking one year since Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV was elected to the papacy. Churchgoers were greeted by a Pope Leo cardboard cutout inside the cathedral’s front doors.

Mehta, 84, admires Pope Leo, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, for his nearly two decades of work in Peru as an Augustinian missionary, professor and later bishop of Chiclayo. Of course, his Chicago roots make her admiration for him even “more special.”

“It’s not only because of Chicago, but I read all of the very good things that he’s done. He was in Peru and he was really helping people, especially the marginalized and the immigrants,” said Mehta, who emigrated from the Philippines more than 50 years ago.

Mehta enthusiastically shared her experience seeing Pope Leo in person — “twice!” — when she joined a pilgrimage of Holy Name Cathedral parishioners on a trip to Rome last year.

“It’s very exciting to be able to see him in person,” she said. “In fact, he came once [in the Popemobile] and then when he saw the big sign of Holy Name Cathedral, he came back again to say hello again.”

Mehta has attended Holy Name Cathedral for around 30 years and has volunteered for the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Catholic Charities. She’s also a member of the Cathedral Filipino Singers. Over those years, she has observed a difference in the church crowd since Pope Leo’s election.

“I think this is very good for us. In fact, what I’ve noticed is there’s a lot of young people that are coming back to church,” Mehta said. “And this is very exciting for us. I guess it’s probably not only because he’s American, but he speaks our language, he’s so down to earth. I really think he is a very good man.”

Bishop Lawrence J. Sullivan, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Chicago, preached at Friday’s Mass about Pope Leo’s election. He recalled the excitement that filled the watch party room at Quigley Pastoral Center last year when white smoke appeared above the Sistine Chapel, signifying the new pope had been selected.

“The fact that we have an American pope, someone who talks with our accent, someone who knows our neighborhoods, and a Sox fan to boot, is truly astonishing,” Sullivan said.

Pope Leo’s rise to his current role is a reminder to pray and encourage vocations, Sullivan said.

“When he was a young student as Robert Prevost, there is no doubt that the people around him saw something truly special,” Sullivan said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that he was a wonderful student, an incredible young man, but I don’t think anybody seriously thought that one day he would be elected pope.”