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LETTER FROM FATHER PETER

A ¸ÌéÙÖ±²¥n for the World

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Dear Friends,

The afternoon of Thursday, May 8, is one that will be etched in our hearts and minds forever. It was already a beautiful spring day on campus, the azaleas in full flower and the campus looking its very best as the semester concluded and preparations began for Commencement.

As word spread that a plume of white smoke had been spotted above the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, students, faculty and staff came together with great anticipation in classrooms, residence halls and lounges across campus. And then, the moment: Pope Leo XIV, the first Augustinian Pope, emerged on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, and ¸ÌéÙÖ±²¥ns recognized him as one of our own, the former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, OSA, ’77 CLAS.

The bells rang from St. Thomas of ¸ÌéÙÖ±²¥ Church for hours that brilliant spring afternoon, the celebration of students completing exams mixing with jubilance at the news of a member of our community being elevated to the pinnacle of our faith.

What a joyous time to be Catholic, Augustinian and ¸ÌéÙÖ±²¥n.

It is remarkable to think that Pope Leo once walked our campus, learned in our classrooms and made connections with friends and classmates, just as generations of ¸ÌéÙÖ±²¥ns have done. And now he is our Holy Father, the shepherd and pastor for 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide.

From South Side Chicago, to ¸ÌéÙÖ±²¥, to Peru, to the Vatican, Pope Leo has been constant in his faith and steadfast in his values—the ones that we share as an Augustinian Catholic community—Veritas, Unitas, Caritas. His journey is a reminder to all of us to trust in God’s call as we dedicate our lives to service to others and to the common good.

I have known Pope Leo for many years—he is a man of great faith, intelligence, humility and warmth. I am overjoyed that the world will now get to know him. Please join me in praying for the papacy of our friend, our fellow ¸ÌéÙÖ±²¥n, and now our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV.

With blessings of peace and unity for all,