CHICAGO – A breeze blew through the ballpark, cooling those who stood in the late afternoon sun as music began to play. Many in the crowd at the home of the White Sox wore team gear, but they came to attend a historic Mass where the wind could be perceived as the action of the Holy Spirit.
On June 14, tens of thousands of faithful descended upon Rate Field to be a part of “Chicago Celebrates Pope Leo XIV,” an event hosted by the Archdiocese of Chicago to commemorate the May 8 election of a “native son.” In biographical videos, musical performances and Holy Mass, the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics was honored like a father among his family members.
Before the liturgy began on a stage set up beyond second base, the man born to Mildred and Louis Prevost at Mercy Hospital in Chicago in 1955 as Robert Francis Prevost appeared on the 60 feet by 134 feet scoreboard monitor, looming large among the stadium guests as he delivered a pre-recorded message.
“My dear friends, it’s a pleasure for me to greet all of you gathered together at White Sox Park on this great celebration, as a community of faith in the Archdiocese of Chicago,” he said, seated in his office in the Vatican.
He encouraged all, especially young people, to be leaders. “As you offer your own experience of joy and of hope, you can find out, you can discover that you, too, are indeed beacons of hope, that light that perhaps on the horizon is not very easy to see, and yet, as we grow in our unity, as we come together in communion, we can discover that that light will grow brighter and brighter, that light which is indeed our faith in Jesus Christ.”
The sounds of “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” and “Agnus Dei” rang out through the stadium, and prayers and intentions in languages including English, Latin, Polish, Spanish and Tagalog were amplified by speaker stacks set along the baselines.
Craig Popovich, a young adult and St. Thomas More parishioner, secured a last-minute event ticket.
“I really like coming out here today because Pope Leo is from Chicago, the first pope from America, which is really surprising,” he said. “This is going to be my first time receiving the Eucharist at a baseball stadium. It's going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
In May, within minutes of the first U.S.-born pope’s election, the media began looking into the background of the papal candidate, Augustinian priest and former Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru. People soon learned that the pontiff grew up in Dolton, Ill. and attended the nearby former St. Mary of the Assumption School, where he sang in the choir and served at the altar.
He attended Chicago Theological Union and taught at St. Rita of Cascia High School on the city's South Side.
Among published accounts, recollections of Pope Leo XIV’s two older brothers have circulated since the pontiff was elected to the seat of St. Peter. Louis Robert, a navy veteran like the brothers’ father, resides in Port Charlotte, Fla. with his wife, Deborah Prevost. He was widely quoted, saying of his devout brother Robert, “We used to tease him all the time – you’re going to be the pope one day.”
John Prevost, a retired school principal and New Lenox, Ill. resident, said his brother was an excellent student and a little league ball player whose allegiance was to the South Side baseball club. Perhaps the viral media of the year is broadcast video footage recently discovered showing then “Father Bob” Prevost attending Game One of the 2005 World Series, cheering on the White Sox to a win over the Houston Astros on Oct. 22, 2005.
People at Rate Field were elated about the "American Pie” sports connection that they have with the Pope. Each dressed in a White Sox jersey bearing the number 14 with “Pope Leo” printed atop, PJ and Margaret Caraher found themselves seated near home plate, surrounded by others wearing swag honoring “Da Pope” in Bears colors and humorously playing up Chicago’s reputation as home to idiosyncratic super fans.
“We’ve been here during baseball games and it’s a different feel here today ... everybody who is here is Catholic and here to celebrate,” said PJ Caraher.
The Carahers, of Munster, waited to see their son Father Steven Caraher, who is associate pastor of Holy Martyrs Parish in Merrillville, process in with mainly archdiocesan clergy.
“Our son Steven loves the White Sox, and he’s Father Steven now ... he managed to get himself on the altar tonight," said Margaret Caraher.
During his homily, presider Cardinal Blaise J. Cupich thanked Pope Leo XIV for taking the time to address the faithful as a loving spiritual father before Father’s Day. On the Feast of the Holy Trinity, the Chicago prelate spoke of the relational nature of God and that among His people, “love does not have to be rationed or held back.”
“First, notice that each of the three persons (of the Holy Trinity) is aware of being loved. As John baptizes in the Jordan River, God introduces Jesus to the world as His beloved Son in whom He is well pleased. Likewise, Jesus speaks of the Father as the one He loves, with whom He is one in the Spirit," Cardinal Cupich said. “The message is clear: knowing we are loved is foundational for living as an authentic person.”
Captions: (Left) Solomon Burgo creates a natural visor to look from the outfield seats as his younger brother Gideon Burgo prays during Mass at Rate Field for the “Chicago Celebrates Pope Leo XIV" event on June 14. The St. Anthony of Padua, Fish Lake, parishioners joined tens of thousands of faithful gathered at the home of the White Sox as the Archdiocese of Chicago hosted a Mass, musical tributes and biographical presentations about the "native son" pontiff, who was born Robert Francis Prevost in 1955 in the city and raised in south suburban Dolton, Ill. (Right) Processing in at the start of Mass, Father Steven Caraher, associate pastor of Holy Martyrs, joins dozens of clergymen at Rate Field. During his priestly ministry with Augustinian Order, then-Father Prevost taught and administered in Chicago, where he continued as a fan of the White Sox, also Father Caraher’s favorite baseball club. (Anthony D. Alonzo photos)
