Latest news with #AugustinianFathers
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Remarkable breadth of experience': WNY Monsignor reacts to new pope
LACKAWANNA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Thursday marked a historic moment for the Catholic Church as Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago became Pope Leo XIV, the 267th leader of the Roman Catholic Church, and the first American to hold the papacy. At the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory in Lackawanna, a local faith leader reflected on what this moment means for Western New York. 'The church always rejoices when we have a new pope, and to elect someone with his caliber of experience is a cause for rejoicing for the whole church,' said the Reverend Monsignor Paul Burkard, former pastor of the basilica. Pope Leo XIV, a member of the Augustinian order, began his studies at the minor seminary of the Augustinian Fathers before earning a degree in mathematics from Villanova University in Pennsylvania. He later completed his theological training at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Burkard noted the new pope's wide-ranging experience, having served as a priest and bishop in South America, North America and Europe. 'He brings a remarkable breadth of experience,' Burkard said. 'I think he's going to be a great asset to the church and a powerful voice for all of us.' Pope Leo is expected to carry forward many of the values championed by his predecessor, Pope Francis, including a focus on social justice and a commitment to the marginalized. 'He'll be his own man, but he has shown himself to be in the same mind as Pope Francis,' Burkard said. 'I think he really agreed with where Pope Francis was taking the church.' The choice of the name Leo is believed to be a nod to Pope Leo XIII, the late 19th-century pontiff known as the 'Pope of Social Justice' for his strong advocacy for workers and the poor during the Industrial Revolution, a legacy many believe Pope Leo XIV will continue. Gwyn Napier is a reporter who joined the News 4 team in 2025. See more of her work by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
International Business Times
09-05-2025
- General
- International Business Times
Pope Leo XIV: New Pontiff's Journey From an Altar Boy to Catholic Church's Leader
Cardinal Robert Prevost, a Chicago native with French, Italian, and Spanish descent, has become the first American Pontiff and the 267th pope. He chose the papal name Pope Leo XIV and made his first appearance as the new leader of Catholic Church on Thursday (May 9). The new Pontiff waved his hands to the crowd, who were cheering, and chanting at St. Peter's Square. Born the youngest child of Louis Marius Prevost and Mildred Martínez in Chicago on September 14, 1955, Robert Prevost spent his childhood and adolescence with his loved ones. He grew up with his two brothers -- Louis Martín and John Joseph -- in the Windy City. The future Pontiff, 69, attended St. Mary of the Assumption Church with his mother Mildred Martínez and siblings. From a humble beginning, a career ministering to the poor, and a life spreading faith, here is the journey of Pope Leo XIV from an altar boy to the leader of Catholic Church. A Humble Beginning Robert Prevost started his journey in the church as an altar boy in a nearby parish. He attended Catholic school and minor seminary school of the Augustinian Fathers. He studied philosophy and earned a Degree in Mathematics from Villanova University in Pennsylvania in 1977. Robert Prevost completed his theological education from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in 1981. After completing his study on Canon Law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, he was ordained as a priest on June 19, 1982, at the Augustinian College of Saint Monica by Archbishop Jean Jadot. "It was just a normal childhood. It's kind of strange, but all three of us knew what we wanted to do very early in life. And Rob — that's what we called him since he was little — knew he was going to be a priest from the time he could walk. A neighbor once said he was going to be pope someday. How's that for a prognostication?" John Joseph, Prevost's 71-year-old older brother, told the Daily Herald. Ministering Poor Prevost went to the Augustinian mission in Chulucanas, Piura, Peru, in 1985 and became the vocation director and missions director of the Augustinian Province of "Mother of Good Counsel" in Olympia Fields, Illinois (USA). After a year, he joined the mission as director of the joint formation project for Augustinian candidates from the vicariates of Chulucanas, Iquitos, and Apurímac. Over the years, Prevost became the 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. He was also entrusted with the pastoral care of Our Lady Mother of the Church, later established as 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. Prevost became the Provincial Prior of the Augustinian Province of "Mother of Good Counsel" in Chicago in 1999. The ordinary General Chapter of the Order of Saint Augustine elected him as Prior General in 2003. He was appointed the director of formation at the Saint Augustine Convent, first councilor, and provincial vicar. A year later, Pope Francis appointed him the Apostolic Administrator of the Peruvian Diocese of Chiclayo. Spreading Faith Two years later, he became the Bishop of Chiclayo and was elected as the second vice-president of the Peruvian Episcopal Conference. During this period, Prevost served as a member of the Economic Council and president of the Commission for Culture and Education. He became a member of the Congregation for the Clergy in 2019, and a year later, he was appointed a member of the Congregation for Bishops. Pope Francis appointed him the Apostolic Administrator of the Peruvian Diocese of Callao. He was promoted as an Archbishop on January 30, 2023. Pope Francis was appointed as Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. The pope created him a Cardinal in the Consistory in September and assigned him the Diaconate of Saint Monica.
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Pope Leo XIV's Pollachi connection
Over 18 years ago, Father Robert Francis Prevost — now elected Pope, under the papal name Leo XIV — stood quietly outside a school gate in Pollachi, a small town in Tamil Nadu. He was serving as the Prior General of the Order of St. Augustine when he visited Shenbagam Matriculation Higher Secondary School in October 2006. According to the Regional Vicar of the Augustinians in India, Father Prevost served as the Prior General of the Order from 2001 to 2013. During this period, he made two visits to India — in 2004 and 2006 — meeting Augustinian communities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. On 22 April 2004, he concelebrated the ordination mass of six Augustinian deacons at St. Francis Xavier's Church in Kathrikadavu near Kaloor, Kerala. His second visit, in October 2006, brought him back to Kerala to participate in the Asia-Pacific Meeting of the Order of St. Augustine, held in Aluva. During this trip, he made a two-day visit to Shenbagam School in Pollachi, which had then just come under the management of the Augustinian Fathers under the Diocese of Coimbatore. The school, originally established in 1995 by a local businessman, had fewer than 500 students when the transition took place. Father Sumesh Joseph Illikkaparambil, Correspondent of Shenbagam Matric. Hr. Sec. School, on Friday, shares an old photograph of #PopeLeoXIV, taken during his visit to the school in #Pollachi of #Coimbatore dist. in #TamilNadu in 2006. 📹: M. Periasamy (@peri_periasamy) — The Hindu - Chennai (@THChennai) May 9, 2025 At the school, Father Prevost interacted with the Augustinian Fathers and staff, and posed for a photograph that now holds renewed significance for the school community. His visit, modest at the time, has become a moment of quiet pride for those who remember it. The school's current correspondent, Father Sumesh Joseph Illikkaparambil, displayed one of the photographs taken that day. In 2006, he was a 26-year-old brother undergoing formation to become a priest in Kerala. 'We remember his visit vividly. He had come for the Asia-Pacific gathering in Aluva, and after that, he visited the school to see how the newly taken-over institution was functioning. That's when the photo was taken — him standing humbly at our school gate,' he said. ''We never imagined then that he would go on to lead the Church. Nor did I imagine that I would one day serve as correspondent at the very school he visited.''Father Sumesh Joseph Illikkaparambil 'He is someone who likes to mingle with people and engage in outreach activities. The school has changed completely since his visit — we now have nearly 1,400 students and over 100 teaching and non-teaching staff,' added Father Sumesh. 'He may recall to the world his visit to India — especially Tamil Nadu — whenever he's asked about his time in the region. We're even planning to create a small memorial here to mark his visit,' he said. As Pope Leo XIV begins his spiritual leadership from Rome, the school in Pollachi remembers the quiet afternoon a visiting priest stood at their gate, before history gave him a new name.
