MILWAUKEE — Catholics across the world continue to celebrate Pope Leo XIV. On Tuesday night, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee held a service in honor of the new Holy Father.
Dozens of Catholics from parishes all across Milwaukee County gathered at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.
The mass was led by Archbishop Jeffrey Grob. He led prayers for Pope Leo XIV and helped welcome him into the church as the new head.
“It’s a family thing,” Grob said. “We pray at the endings of things; we pray at the beginning of things. So, the local community coming together to pray for him to ask God’s blessing upon him. He’s got quite a task as the pope.”
Terry Robinson came from her home parish in Pewaukee to attend Tuesday night’s service. She said she wanted to attend to be a part of history and welcome the new pope into the church.
“It’s very important,” Robinson said. “I felt a closeness and peace when he was brought in. This is the jubilee year of hope and I hope that people get nicer, we come together and this pope, I think, is going to bring us together.”
Grob said a service of this nature is something that brings Catholics from all across Milwaukee County together.
“To see priests coming from different parishes, parishioners coming from different parishes,” Grob said. “Especially, it’s the privileges of the cathedral church, the mother church of any dioceses to have that drawing from any of the ten counties throughout Milwaukee.”
Jim Schutte was one of many other parishioners visiting for Tuesday night’s service. He said it was a chance he didn’t want to miss — to honor the first American to be elected into the position as pope.
“It is faith-filled, it is heartwarming, it is an honor and a privilege to be here at our cathedral,” Schutte said.
For many, this celebration marks a new chapter in the Catholic Church across the world and in Wisconsin.