Dear Parents and Carers,

Habemus Papam! Welcome to our newly elected Pope Leo XIV. Excitement has prevailed with the appearance of white smoke from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday 8 May signalling to the world that a new leader of the Catholic Church had been elected. Pope Leo X1V celebrated the Mass of Inauguration of his pontificate on Sunday which marks the official beginning of his papacy. Please find below a short life summary of Robert Francis Prevost, a humble man who has served as a missionary in Peru, lived and walked among the poor and who will now be known to the world as Pope Leo X1V!

In 1975, Robert Prevost was at the top of his game.

A math teacher in Chicago.

Accepted into Harvard Law.

But he chose a different path — he became a priest.

He joined a missionary order and moved to Peru.

Not to the cities.

To the remote villages — where children die from treatable diseases,

and families walk miles just for clean water.

Robert didn’t just live among the people —

he became one of them.

He learned Quechua, the sacred Incan language.

Carried food for days on foot.

Slept on dirt floors.

Taught math under broken rooftops.

Carried the sick on donkeys.

Prayed under the stars.

His acts were not broadcast,

but they echoed through the Andes.

Bishops noticed.

The Vatican noticed.

They called him back to lead the Augustinian order across 40 countries.

He kept his sandals.

He walked with the poor.

He rejected luxury.

Rome brought him closer:

• Archbishop (2020)

• Cardinal (2023)

• Pope Leo XIV (2025)

Even then, each year he returned to those same villages.

Sat on dirt floors.

Held hands of the elderly and sick.

Because for him, leadership is about presence, not position.

The Vatican didn’t just see a priest.

They saw a leader with soul.

The rest is now history. ?

Enjoy the week ahead and please continue to pray for much needed rain.

Christine Baron

Principal

St Patrick, Pray for us