Wexford priest who met Pope Leo XIV believes he will make a great pontiff – ‘He hits the nail on the head in one go

Irish Independent

16-05-2025

In late April, 2007, Fr. Robert Prevost travelled to Wexford to meet with the then principal of Good Counsel College, the late Fr. John Hennebry OSA, who passed away in April 2025, as he visited the Augustinian houses in Ireland, which he would've been obliged to do in his position as Prior General, making him their worldwide superior.
'That role in itself is a huge task,' said Rev. Michael Collender, College Chaplain at Good Counsel College, who met with Fr. Bob on various occasions, one of which being that time in 2007.
During his visit, Fr. Collender recalls an account of his senior's activities having 'met with the Friars, he met students in the school. He celebrated Mass. He spoke to the students and he's a very good preacher'.
"He speaks with great conviction and with great clarity. He hits the nail on the head in one go,' Fr. Collender added.
Another activity on Fr. Bob's itinerary was an introduction to hurling, which those who were there said that 'he enjoyed it'.
'Hurling is an element that we would have done for the visitation of the last Prior General, as we introduce them to something that's unique and cultural, so he really enjoyed the hurling,' Fr. Collender said.
By Fr. Bob choosing to his name as Pope Leo XIV, Fr. Collender described it as very fitting for the continuation of the work carried out by Pope Leo XIII, who in the 1800s spoke up for the poor and oppressed under the industrial revolution at that time. 'Rerum Novarum, his famous Encyclical, inspired so many, especially in the aftermath of the Second World War, to try and build a common vision for Europe,' said Fr. Collender.
'What Pope Leo XIII proposed even for that time was extraordinary as he empowered people to make decisions at local level and I think the fact that he continued on with that name, it speaks volumes, given the times that we live in today and everything else going on,' he added.
In commenting on Pope Leo XIV's pontificate, Fr. Collender said 'it's amazing'.
'Little did any of us think – and little did he think – that when he stood in for those photographs that the day would come.
'Nobody would have thought it, at least I never would have thought that I would ever be standing in the presence of the next Pope, but I felt from every time I met him, that I was in the presence of a good leader,' said Fr. Collender, who described him as 'a man of great conviction, great faith and he's also humble and gentle in how he would say things.'
'Every time I was in his presence, it's like as though there was nobody else because he has that gift to focus in on the here and now,' he said.
'I wish him well in his pontificate and I really believe he's the right man for these times. We are living in a rapidly changing culture and society. We're not the only ones in flux and what St Augustine stood for in terms of his search for God, which didn't come easy, It doesn't change. There's nothing new under the sun. And I believe that the Restless Heart of Saint Augustine, which inspired Pope Leo XIV through all his Augustinian life, will continue to inspire him.
'I would hope that, there is a door opening to people, to learn something about the great wisdom of Saint Augustine, and hopefully to be inspired by it in whatever way they wish to serve,' Fr. Collender concluded.