Crowds gathered for the Archdiocese of Chicago event celebrating Pope Leo. Credit: CatholicVote (Tom Pogasic)
CatholicVote’s LOOPCast host Tom Pogasic was among thousands of people who attended the Archdiocese of Chicago’s June 14 celebration of Pope Leo XIV’s Chicago roots and love of White Sox baseball.
“Everyone was super excited to be there,” said Pogasic, who interviewed several young people who came to the event.
According to Pogasic, the youths are optimistic about the pontiff and inspired by how they have walked in the same baseball stadium as he has — not only do they feel like they can relate to him, but they appreciate that his story is emblematic of the notion that “anything is possible.”
Most people didn’t think there even could be an American pope, noted Pogasic, and Pope Leo, the 266th successor of St. Peter, is not only from the same part of the world as they are, but also shares traditions with them, such as baseball and a fondness for Aurelio’s, a local pizzeria. The joy caused by these small connections was evident in the speeches given at Rate Field.
“Today we’re celebrating something truly historic: the first North American Pope is from Chicago, a native Southsider and a White Sox fan,” Brooks Boyer, the White Sox Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer, said at the event.
Pope Leo had attended the first game of the 2005 World Series, which the White Sox ended up winning, in the Rate Field stadium. Boyer noted how remarkable it is that “a man who is now leading over a billion people in faith was sitting shoulder to shoulder with the fans during some of the greatest moments in White Sox history.”
“On behalf of the White Sox and all of our fans,” Boyer invited the Holy Father to return to the stadium and throw out a ceremonial first pitch.
“The mound is waiting, your crowd is certainly ready, and your team, the White Sox, is here with open arms,” he said. “You pick the date and we’ll be ready to go. We’ll send a ball to the Vatican so you can get your arm prepared for another historical event in your hometown of Chicago.”
The multi-hour June 14 event also included remarks from Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago and main celebrant for the event’s Mass; Baptist bishop Simon Gordon of the Triedstone Church of Chicago; and Chuck Swirsky, the play-by-play voice of the Chicago Bulls and a reader at Holy Name Cathedral, according to the event’s program.
A talented group of singers with the local Leo High School Choir sang the national anthem, which Pogasic hailed as “a really beautiful rendition” and a highlight of the event for him personally. This is the second time within the last month that Leo High School Choir has performed for a remarkably large audience – last week they auditioned on America’s Got Talent, and the judges unanimously voted for them to advance.
Because Pope Leo is also a citizen of Peru, having served as a missionary there for many years, Peruvian Luis Galvez, the director of music at Mother of Divine Grace Parish in Westchester, Illinois, sang the Peruvian national anthem.
Attendees also heard personal testimonies from Sister Dianne Bergant, who taught Pope Leo at the Catholic Theological Union, and Father John Merkelis, an Augustinian priest who went to high school with the pontiff.
Sr. Bergant, who taught for 45 years, has kept all her students’ academic reports to better remember her students.
“So I have a list of all his grades that he took in my class, so I can tell you, I have proof that he was a good student,” she said, smiling.
Fr. Merkelis also remarked about the intellectual gifts of Pope Leo, who majored in mathematics at Villanova University, and was quick to add that the pontiff also is humble.
“He’s a bridge builder, he’s deliberate, he’s thoughtful, he will listen to all sides, but he will make up his own mind,” Fr. Merkelis said. “He’ll be very clear, but he’ll be very pastoral. He’s a canon lawyer, and he knows how to pastorally apply the law. He’s a prayerful man.”
“Having said all that, he’s a regular guy,” he added, noting that the Pope plays Wordle and taught Fr. Merkelis how to drive stick shift. “He’s just a down-to-earth guy who’s very smart, very prayerful, and I believe he will bring those same qualities to the issues he faces.”
Following the panel with Fr. Merkelis and Sr. Bergant, Augustinian Brother David Marshall performed “One of Us,” an original song dedicated to Pope Leo.
Then the faithful at the stadium received a special video message from Pope Leo himself, who greeted the attendants, and especially the young people of the world. His message emphasized the importance of coming together and fostering community, and sharing hope rooted in Christ with the world.
He told the young people, “You are the promise of hope for so many of us. The world looks to you, as you look around yourselves, and says, ‘We need you.’ We want you to come together, to share with us in this common mission as Church and in the society, of announcing a message of true hope, and of promoting peace, promoting harmony among all peoples.”
After the special greeting, the New Orleans-based band the Vigil Project led music before Mass. Singer Andrea Thomas prefaced the music by emphasizing that the band was not there only to play but also to pray with the attendants. She invited them to have a moment of silence to pray in thanksgiving “for such a hopeful and beautiful day.” Then, the band began to play instrumentally, and the prayer continued on in song.
Accompanied by a gentle backdrop of violin, cello, guitar, drums and piano, the band’s singers harmonized together in praising Jesus Christ and asking for the will of the Holy Spirit to be done. Later in the set, the band led the stadium in singing the hymn “Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow.”
Pogasic shared that he had never attended Mass in a baseball stadium and praised the event’s organizers for how well everything went logistically. There was “a small army of priests” who helped distribute the Eucharist during communion, Pogasic said. He also said that he noticed people stood next to the priests to watch and ensure that the Eucharist was consumed.
The theme of unity — which is reflected in Pope Leo’s motto, “In Illo uno unum” (In the One, we are one”) — was apparent throughout the event. Whether it was the crowds of people of diverse backgrounds coming together to celebrate, the comments the Pope made in his address, or the happy tone of the South African hymn “Siyahamba,” the overarching atmosphere of the event was optimism and joy.