For some Midwestern Catholics, the excitement of a new pope quickly turned into the realization that it was someone they knew personally.
Jodi McLawhorn was watching the announcement from her office at the Diocese of Gary Pastoral Center, where she works as assistant superintendent of schools. "I was just like, 'I think Father Prevost is going to be pope!' I mean, I was like really crazy. And then, they came on and said, yes, this is an American pope, and I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, it is him. I cannot believe it,'" McLawhorn told Lakeshore Public Media on Monday.
She said she quickly rejoined the rest of the diocesan staff, who'd formed an impromptu watch party. "And everybody's like, 'Jodi, we have an American pope!' And I go, 'You all are not going to believe this — and it sounds really weird to say — but I know the pope!'" McLawhorn said.
She said the future Pope Leo XIV would visit St. Rita High School in Chicago, when she worked there. McLawhorn said he'd celebrate Mass, and the school would present him with funds students raised for the missions in Peru. Later, he gave a tour of the Augustinian headquarters in Rome, during a pilgrimage she organized through the school.
"[He was] very calm, very gentle," McLawhorn said. "People would say things, he would laugh. Just, a really, very nice, warm personality."
McLawhorn said she knew the future pope on a professional basis, but she knows several people who are close friends of his. She said having a pope from the local area can help bring people back into their faith.
"I've seen all the memes with him with the Bears hat and all kinds of stuff, from people who probably haven't gone to Mass in a while, who probably haven't practiced their faith in a while, but now, all of a sudden, have this real-life connection," McLawhorn said.
She said she worries about Pope Leo, not only for the work he has ahead of him but also for his personal safety as a major figure on the global stage. For example, she doesn't expect him to be able to sit with his friends in the bleachers at White Sox games or go out to eat with friends visiting Rome anymore.
"This is like he lost who he was and is now somebody else, and while that is awesome with the idea of possibility in the work that he can do, there's also some mourning," McLawhorn noted.
Still, she believes that as a member of the Augustinian order, Pope Leo will have a strong support system, as well as a love of serving others. "The Augustinians, also, just as an order, are very inclusive, even of women," McLawhorn added. "You can receive an award and become an official Augustinian, even if you're a women, just because, maybe of service or things that you've done."
McLawhorn said she thinks Pope Leo is the right man for the job, and that he'll need the faithful's prayers, as he takes over his new role.
