PATERSON, N.J. (OSV News) — Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney echoed the joy and hope of the faithful of the Diocese of Paterson, proclaiming “Viva il Papa!” — “Long Live the Pope!” — at the end of a Mass of thanksgiving he celebrated on May 14 for Pope Leo XVI’s election at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson.
The bishop said this Chicago-born “missionary pope” — and the first North American pontiff — could inspire all Catholics to become “missionary disciples” of Christ.
The afternoon Mass of thanksgiving came six days after Pope Leo XIV was elected the 267th head of the universal church — in Rome May 8. Bishop Sweeney was the main celebrant. Many priests concelebrated the English and Spanish liturgy, with deacons assisting.
Church’s Spiritual Father
Local religious, laity and public officials were among those at the liturgy. Attendees prayed for the pope in his new role as the church’s spiritual father. Masses for Pope Leo have been celebrated around the diocese and world.
“We celebrate and give thanks to Almighty God, especially for the Holy Spirit inspiring our cardinal electors to give us our new Pope, Pope Leo XIV,” Bishop Sweeney said in his opening remarks at the Mass.
The altar of St. John’s, the diocese’s mother church, displayed an image of Pope Leo, the former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, with flags including those of the United States and Peru, where he served as a diocesan bishop. The new pope holds dual citizenship as an American and a Peruvian.
The multicultural cathedral is home to a Peruvian group, Señor de los Milagros (Lord of Miracles). Paterson has the largest community of Peruvians outside their homeland in the world. Little Lima is a Peruvian community located very near the cathedral in downtown Paterson.
Christ’s Great Commissioning
In his homily, Bishop Sweeney said that Pope Leo, who spent decades missioning in Latin America, could remind Catholics of Christ’s great commissioning of his followers “to go and make disciples of all the nations” at the end of Matthew’s Gospel.
“We must be missionary disciples. We each have a responsibility to hear, learn, and share the good news of Jesus Christ — that work of evangelization to which we are called. The vocation that all of us share from our baptism is that call to holiness, that call to be saints,” said Bishop Sweeney, reminding the faithful to live out Jesus’ commandment, “Love one another.”
Diocesan faithful joined the church worldwide in expressing joy and surprise over the news of Pope Leo’s historic election. He was also the head of the Vatican dicastery that chooses those named bishops. Catholics said they liked his warm personality and hoped his vast experience would help him lead the church in these challenging times.
Excitement and Shock
In his homily, Bishop Sweeney recalled his excitement and shock on the day the College of Cardinals elected the Chicago-born Pope Leo.
“An American? Wow!” Bishop Sweeney said. “Now we’re praying for Pope Leo at every Mass.”
Bishop Sweeney said he was moved by Pope Leo’s first public words as pontiff looking over St. Peter’s Square: “Peace be with you” in the hearts of everyone worldwide. The words called to mind the Jubilee Year of Hope, the bishop said, which Pope Francis decreed to encourage all people to become “pilgrims of hope” in Christ.
An Augustinian friar, Pope Leo will bring the spirituality of St. Augustine, his order’s founder, to the papacy, such as the value of solidarity — “we’re walking the journey together” — and humble service as a leader, the bishop said.
“To be a leader in the church, we need always to remember that,” Bishop Sweeney said.
Moved by Pope’s Spanish
A Spanish speaker, Bishop Sweeney said he was also moved when Pope Leo spoke in Spanish to believers in the Chiclayo Diocese in Peru, in his first public address. The pontiff was Chiclayo’s bishop from 2015 to 2023. Earlier, he was a parish pastor, diocesan official, seminary teacher and administrator in Peru. Pope Leo has been a Peruvian citizen since 2005.
“A blessing for all of us is to know the blessing of the Latino, Hispanic community here in our diocese, our country, and all parts of the world, and the beauty of our Catholic faith, no matter what language or where you come from. It’s all part of the beautiful flavors that make up our one holy Catholic Apostolic Church,” Bishop Sweeney said.
In a special episode of his podcast, “Beyond The Beacon,” Bishop Sweeney said May 9 he was thankful to God, the Holy Spirit and the cardinal electors for coming to “a consensus pretty quickly.” Then-Cardinal Prevost was elected pope on the fourth ballot, which was “a sign” that the cardinal electors “were very united,” he said.
It’s “just a wonderful time for the church,” Bishop Sweeney said, but also for the Peruvian community in the diocese. “It is certainly a great joy for them” to have a pope who served for years as a Augustinian missionary priest in Peru and later as Chiclayo’s bishop.
This story was originally published by The Beacon at Beaconnj.org, the diocesan news and information outlet for the Diocese of Paterson in northern New Jersey and distributed through a partnership with OSV News. Michael Wojcik is the managing editor of Beaconnj.org.
