Local Catholics react to election of Pope Leo XIV
AUGUSTA, Ga (WJBF)- A new pope is now leading the Catholic Church. Chicago born cardinal, Robert Prevost, was elected Thursday. He is the first pope ever from the United States.
The 69-year-old is a missionary who spent his career ministering in Peru. The new pope is described as being down to earth, and a very kind and reserved person.
There is lots of local reaction to the history-making, first ever American Pope.
'Just super excited. Two of my kids had come home for lunch, so it's exciting that they were here with me. It's something we have been watching to see when this news was going to come out. And there's just an air of excitement,' said Catholic, Rachel Balducci.
Balducci watched the announcement of the election of the new pope in her home. And even though it was 5,000 miles away, watching the process and the tradition has been emotional for her.
'One thing that's so beautiful and important about our Catholic faith is this pope is a direct line from Jesus to Peter and all the way down. And that's part of the beauty of the Catholic Church is the history of it. And you know how vast it is and how far back it goes. And just it's not any one person's show,' she explained.
Very Reverend Richard Wilson is the Pastor at Saint Mary Help of Christians in Aiken. He said watching it all unfold was exciting.
'I was fortunate. I was near the rectory and I was able to see a bunch of this on the television and to see the joy of all the people in the square at St Peter's was absolutely wonderful from all those countries all around the world, all those flags, all that joy, all that enthusiasm for representing 1.4 billion Catholics around the world,' he smiled.
Neither Father Wilson or Balducci thought the new pope would be American.
'I mean, it's mind blowing. I mean, I saw, kind of on the list of top contenders. But, you know, we say that and it's like nobody really knows what's going on inside the conclave. All I can say is, I really believe that he's the man that God has chosen to lead our church in this time,' Balducci said.
Father Wilson is looking forward to the future under Pope Leo XIV but he has just one question.
'And we're excited to find out. Also being if he's from Chicago, is he a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan? That's what we really want to know.'
And it turns out, the new Pope grew up on the south side of Chicago, typically where White Sox fans are from. But he is, in fact, a Cubs fan.
There is no date yet for Pope Leo's inaugural mass, but it will be held sometime in the next week.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
25 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
HCDSB Empowers Youth Voices at First-Ever Elementary Equity Symposium
Grade 7 students from across the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) came together recently for a day of learning, leadership and inclusion at the board's first-ever Elementary Student Equity Symposium. Held under the theme 'Take Space – Make Space,' the event welcomed 204 students and more than 45 staff supervisors from 43 schools, marking a significant milestone in the board's equity and inclusion efforts. The day-long symposium, designed to empower students to express their identities and build inclusive communities, featured three interactive workshops and was supported by 17 staff volunteers and six student volunteers. 'The 'Take Space – Make Space' theme reflects our Catholic values of dignity, compassion, and inclusion,' said Sita Jayaraman, Senior Manager of Human Rights and Equity. 'While similar symposiums have been held at the secondary level, we saw an opportunity to engage elementary students in building confidence in their identity, while supporting inclusive school communities through young leaders.' Participants, many from equity-deserving groups or with lived experiences tied to diversity, took part in workshops that blended creative expression, community engagement, and leadership skill-building. In Creative Collaboration, Matthew Morales, Community Engagement Specialist from the UN Global Compact, led students through a hands-on design process exploring diversity and collaboration. In Introduction to Leadership, facilitators from Rising Stars guided students through exercises on self-awareness, community-building, and youth empowerment. In Power of Diversity, presenters from The Ripple Effect Education offered a space for storytelling and reflection, focusing on how diverse voices can create stronger communities. 'The symposium aligns closely with our Multi-Year Strategic Plan pillar of Belonging,' said Jayaraman. 'It supports our commitment to safe, inclusive, and welcoming schools where every student's identity and voice is welcomed and valued.' The initiative also responds to priorities identified in the board's 2023 Equity Audit, including the need for affinity spaces for equity-deserving students. The Equity and Inclusive Education Policy, another guiding document, further underpins the board's approach to events like this. The impact of the day was clear in student feedback. 'They shared that the event helped them feel more connected, and they were inspired with new ideas—encouraging them to promote inclusion and compassion in their own school communities,' said Jayaraman. With the success of this year's symposium, HCDSB is now considering options to expand the program and make it an annual event. The day concluded with a renewed sense of purpose, a celebration of identity, and a strong reminder of the important role young people play in shaping equitable and inclusive school communities. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Los Angeles Times
8 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Free admission offered at these California national parks and forests on Juneteenth
Juneteenth, an official national holiday since 2021, brings with it free admission to all national parks and forests. It will be one of just seven such days when admission is free at national parks and five days for national forests. The holiday celebrates the last American slaves to be officially freed. They were freed by Union soldiers in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued. In Southern California, participating National Park Service locations include Joshua Tree, Death Valley, Channel Islands, Cabrillo National Monument, Yosemite and many more. For those who can't make it to national parks on Juneteenth, free access will be available on three more days this year: Aug. 4, Sep. 27 and Nov. 11. Land managed by the U.S. Forest Service will also offer free entry on the last two of these three days. Other fees for parking, tours and the like will still apply. If California residents prefer to visit state parks, they can get in for free via a pass available at any library that grants free access to more than 200 parks every day of the year.
Los Angeles Times
11 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
A Word, Please: When phrases lose their popularity
Not long ago in this column, I talked a bit about the expression 'step foot,' as in 'I wouldn't step foot in that store.' The first time I heard it, I was embarrassed for the speaker who, I was sure, meant 'set foot.' The second, third and fourth times I heard it, I sensed a change was underway — and I'm not a fan of change (that's an understatement). Eventually, I looked it up and learned that 'step foot' is slowly gaining on 'set foot,' whether I like it or not. Figures of speech, like words, evolve. Take 'vicious cycle,' for example. For a solid century, there was no 'vicious cycle' — at least not in published writing. Pretty much everyone who could get near a printing press agreed the expression was 'vicious circle.' The idea behind the expression, of course, is that of being stuck in a loop, a bad one. Merriam-Webster defines 'vicious circle' as 'a chain of events in which the response to one difficulty creates a new problem that aggravates the original difficulty.' As the 20th century dawned, 'vicious circle' continued to dominate, but suddenly it had some competition. 'Vicious cycle' was emerging as a contender. 'Vicious circle' held onto its lead until just about a decade ago, when 'vicious cycle' nosed ahead. At the same time, the original and originally correct expression 'vicious circle' started to dive. I'm not optimistic about its future. 'Top up' is another term that caught my eye lately, and not in a good way. I started seeing it in travel articles pondering whether it's worthwhile to buy airline miles to 'top up' your existing balance enough to book a flight. My whole life, the expression I heard was 'top off.' According to Merriam-Webster, 'top off' is a phrasal verb that has two definitions: The first is 'to end (something) usually in an exciting way.' So an athlete may top off their career with a final victory, or a nice dinner can be topped off with dessert and coffee. The second definition is similar to the first: 'to fill (something) completely with a liquid.' Be it a mug of coffee or a tank of gas, when it's not quite full and you fill it all the way, you're topping it off. 'Top up,' meanwhile, was a perfectly fine way to say 'top off' if you're British. But it wasn't for us, I thought. We were top-off people. Turns out that's not quite right. 'Top up' has been in print as long as 'top off,' and though the American version has always been more popular in American publishing, 'top up' has never been far behind. I was wrong about that, but I was even more wrong about 'You've got another think coming.' I couldn't understand how anyone could make the embarrassing mistake of using 'think' in this expression. Obviously, the correct version was 'You've got another thing coming.' I never considered the context. The expression follows a stated or implied statement of 'If you think X …' so 'another' makes sense because you've already had one think. Of course, a think is a thing. So it's not wrong to say you've got another thing coming. And that's lucky for modern English speakers, because Ngram Viewer shows that 'another think coming' started to decline in popularity about 10 years ago while 'another thing coming' is becoming more popular than ever — just when I was getting used to 'think.' For me, there are two takeaways from these trends. One, the language will keep changing. And two, change will continue to annoy me. — June Casagrande is the author of 'The Joy of Syntax: A Simple Guide to All the Grammar You Know You Should Know.' She can be reached at JuneTCN@
