Tens of thousands of people flocked to Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, on June 14 to hear a video message from the team’s most famous fan — Pope Leo XIV, born and raised on the city’s South Side. Addressing an audience in the United States — and specifically, young people of his hometown Chicago and beyond — for the first time since his election, the Holy Father invited those gathered and watching via livestream to be lights of hope.
“As you gather together as a faith community, as you celebrate in the Archdiocese of Chicago, as you offer your own experience of joy and of hope, you can … discover that you, too, are indeed beacons of hope,” Pope Leo said in pre-recorded remarks. “In this Jubilee Year of Hope, Christ, who is our hope, indeed calls all of us to come together, that we might be that true living example: the light of hope in the world today.”
More than 30,000 tickets were purchased for the celebration, which was organized by the Archdiocese of Chicago and co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. In addition to the pope’s address, the event included performances by local Catholic school students, interviews with some of the pope’s friends, and a concelebrated Mass led by Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago.
Numerous Knights attended the celebration with their families, including several K of C leaders who helped distribute thousands of programs, prayer cards and “Join Us” recruitment cards inviting men to become Knights. Given the Order’s longstanding support of the Holy See and the excitement surrounding Pope Leo’s Chicago roots, State Deputy Jeff Peters said it was important for local Knights be present.
“Our whole purpose, as Knights of Columbus, is to strengthen the Church,” State Deputy Peters said as visitors began streaming into the stadium. “We want to invite men to experience the good things the Knights of Columbus has to offer, and this is a prime opportunity.”
State Warden Mike Appell, a lifelong White Sox fan, and his 8-year-old son, Gabriel, were also among the K of C volunteers. The father-son duo arrived at the stadium just as the gates opened at 12:30 p.m., having driven from an assembly officer installation that morning in Peoria — about 160 miles away.
When tickets went on sale May 30, Appell managed to get just two seats. His wife, Melissa, and their three other children (ages 6-12) watched the livestream from home, while Mike and Gabriel represented the family at the ballpark.
“I wanted my children to hear what Pope Leo was going to say to kids like them,” Appell said. “The message was geared toward children and families, and that’s what the Knights of Columbus is about — protecting Catholic families and Catholic family values. We wanted to show our strong solidarity with and support for Pope Leo.”
Just a week earlier, the Appells had attended a White Sox game at the stadium. The opportunity to come back several days later for an event celebrating the newly elected pope “really meant a lot to us,” Appell said.
The celebration included a panel discussion featuring Augustinian Father John Merkelis, a high school classmate of Pope Leo and member of Lansing (Ill.) Council 3540, and St. Agnes Sister Dianne Bergant, one of the pope’s Scripture professors. Musical performances featured the choir of Chicago’s Leo High School, recently featured on Season 20 of “America’s Got Talent,” and other Catholic artists.
Throughout the early afternoon, thousands of attendees explored the stadium and its Pope Leo-themed displays, including a “My First Mass at the Ballpark” certificate booth; a mural commemorating the pope’s election; and the exact seat from which the future pontiff watched Game 1 of the 2005 World Series — Section 140, Row 19, Seat 2.
Tim Dooling, a member of St. Thomas the Apostle Council 17129, attended with fellow council members who were part of Catholic Theological Union’s group. Council 17129 serves St. Thomas the Apostle, the parish nearest to CTU, where Robert Prevost, the future pope, attended seminary before his priestly ordination in 1982.
“We’re still in the clouds,” said Dooling, who became emotional reflecting on the pope’s journey from Chicago to the Vatican. “Pope Leo was here just like any other student, so to celebrate him now — I wouldn’t miss it.”
The excitement in the stadium reminded State Deputy Peters, originally from Iowa, of Pope John Paul II’s October 1979 visit to Des Moines, where 350,000 people welcomed the pope. Just as John Paul II’s election and travels had a powerful impact on the Church in the United States, Peters thinks Pope Leo’s pontificate could do the same.
“We support our pope wherever he comes from,” he said. “But I believe there’s a certain excitement because he comes from the U.S. I think there’s going to be a great resurgence of the Church here.”
By 3:15 p.m., thousands had taken their seats, with many more gathering in the concourse to escape the heat. Cheers erupted as Cardinal Cupich proudly introduced “a son of Chicago, Pope Leo XIV.”
The Holy Father’s video address, nearly eight minutes long, was especially directed to the young people of Chicago and the entire world. Pope Leo encouraged all of his listeners to bring others to Christ through personal witness.
“St. Augustine speaks so often of our ‘restless’ hearts,” Pope Leo said. “That restlessness is not a bad thing, and we shouldn’t look for ways … to eliminate or even numb ourselves to the tensions that we feel, the difficulties that we experience. We should rather get in touch with our own hearts and recognize that God can work in our lives, through our lives, and through us reach out to other people.”
Another Knight in attendance, Paul Rutherford of Madonna Council 1135 in Chicago, said, “The pope hit the nail right on the head by addressing young people. Each person needs to discover their calling so they can grow in their faith and help others do the same.”
Rutherford, who has held various K of C officer roles including grand knight and district deputy, added, “Hearing that message come straight from Pope Leo gave me a sense of new hope.”
Mass began shortly after Pope Leo’s remarks, with Cardinal Cupich as principal celebrant and more than a dozen bishops and priests concelebrating. In his homily, the cardinal thanked Pope Leo for his message and connected it to the weekend’s feast of the Most Holy Trinity.
“[Pope Leo] asked all of us to be attentive to the longings in our hearts for meaning,” Cardinal Cupich said. “He was talking about discovering how we thirst to live authentically, how we thirst to be authentic persons. As the pope observed, given that we are made in the image and likeness of God, this feast of the Trinity gives us a moment to reflect on what it means to be a person in the likeness of God.”
The Mass was the high point of the day for many, including Appell and his son. “As a father, it was a great blessing to hear my son say he enjoyed the Mass,” Appell said, smiling. “He might be disappointed the next time we come to Rate Field for just a baseball game.”
Considering the potential of a Leonine papacy to energize the faithful in Chicago and beyond, Appell added, “It’s just so special to us. Pope Leo is a son of Catholicism in America, and it’s a blessing to us and to the whole world.”
As Appell and his son, seated in the top section of the stadium, made their way down the concourse after Mass, he looked over the city and noticed dozens of crosses crowning the steeples of nearby churches.
“It struck me how many generations have evangelized and grown the faith here,” he said. “They built the community where Pope Leo grew up and learned the faith. They couldn’t be here today, but I could be here for them.”