The 2025 papal conclave ended Thursday with an historic moment, with Chicago-area native Pope Leo XIV being elected as the first-ever American-born pope.
The watershed moment was widely celebrated in Chicago's large Roman Catholic community, with Pope Leo's theological background full of Chicago and Midwest fingerprints.
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WATCH HEREAccording to the pope's brother, John Prevost, the family grew up in south suburban Dolton.
Pope Leo took his first step towards becoming a priest when he left for Augustinian seminary following eighth grade, spending his high school years in Holland, Michigan.
Following his time in high school seminary, Pope Leo enrolled at Villanova University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics in 1977 before joining the Augustinians the same year.
Pope Leo later returned to Chicago and enrolled at Catholic Theological Union, where he received his Master's of Divinity before going on to receive a doctoral degree in canon law from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
The pope then went on to Peru for missionary service beginning in 1985, serving in numerous capacities for over a decade before returning to the United States in 1999 to serve as Provincial of the Augustinian Province in Chicago and then as Prior General of the Augustinians.
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He also worked as a teacher at Mendel Catholic High School in Chicago and Tolentine College in Olympia Fields, Illinois, according to the Mendel Catholic Prep Alumni Association.
He added additional work in ministry teaching at St. Augustine Seminary in Holland, Michigan, and the Augustinian Novitiate at Oconomowoc, Wisconsin.
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SIGN UP Pope Leo then returned to Peru in 2015, serving as the Bishop of Chiclayo until being named Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in 2023.
What is an Augustinian?
Pope Leo is a 69-year-old member of the Augustinian religious order.
He was formerly the prior general, or leader, of the Order of St. Augustine, which was formed in the 13th century as a community of “mendicant” friars — dedicated to poverty, service and evangelization. There have been six previous Augustinian popes.
"Augustinians are members of the Order of Saint Augustine, an international Catholic religious community of men and women," Augustinian Vocations of North America.
The requirements and ethos of the order are traced to the fifth century St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the theological and devotional giants of early Christianity.
The Order of St. Augustine has a presence in about 50 countries, according to its website. Its ethos includes a contemplative spirituality, communal living and service to others. A core value in their rule is to “live together in harmony, being of one mind and one heart on the way to God.”
From the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, Leo said that while he was an Augustinian priest, he was a Christian above all, and a bishop, “so we can all walk together.”
