WOODSIDE — For Peruvian-Americans in the Diocese of Brooklyn, the selection of Cardinal Robert Prevost as pope on May 8 was a double delight.
While the new pontiff, who took the name Pope Leo XIV, is the first American-born pope, he also has strong ties to Peru, where he is also a citizen and served as a missionary for more than 20 years and bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo for eight years.
“I’m elated! I’m so happy we have a new vicar to continue the work of Pope Francis, and the fact that he’s an American and served in Peru is an added bonus,” said Mina Newman, a Peruvian-American and a parishioner of St. Sebastian Church in Woodside.
Pope Leo XIV, a member of the Order of St. Augustine, served in an Augustinian mission in Chulucanas, Peru, and later served as a judicial vicar for the Archdiocese of Trujillo. In 2015, Pope Francis named him bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo, where he served until 2023.
Newman and her two sisters, Carmen Bissell and Rebecca Newman-Mahoney, organize the annual “Lord of the Miracles” procession, a Peruvian religious march that begins at St. Sebastian Church and makes its way through the streets of Woodside on the first Sunday of October.
Their late mother, Bertha Limo Newman, who was born in Peru, introduced the procession to St. Sebastian Church in the 1970s. It pays tribute to a famous image of Jesus Christ on the cross that a slave painted on an adobe clay wall in a Lima, Peru, church around 1651. A devastating earthquake hit Lima in 1655 and destroyed most of the city’s buildings, but the church and the painting survived.
The “Lord of the Miracles” procession in Lima draws millions of the faithful each year as participants process through the streets carrying a replica of the famous painting.
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St. Sebastian Church has a small but devoted Peruvian-American community, explained Father Patrick West, the church’s pastor. The new pope’s previous work in Peru is likely to instill a deep sense of pride in them.
It was a sentiment shared by Newman Mahoney.
“I was floored when I heard about his election,” she said. “I never thought they would pick an American. How exciting is that? And serving in Peru for so long proves he understands different cultures.
“What I’m hoping is that he can bring us all together.”
Bissell said Pope Leo XIV’s connection to the Diocese of Chiclayo is deeply meaningful to their family.
“That’s the city where my mother was born, so I guess you could say I feel an emotional connection to this pope,” Bissell said, adding that she hopes his ties to Peru will generate excitement in the Peruvian-American community and draw more participants in the “Lord of the Miracles” celebration this October.
“We’re going to be pulling out all the stops,” she said.
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The joy felt by Peruvian-Americans was shared by many of the faithful in the diocese, including Bishop Robert Brennan, who told Currents News that he was struck by the tone the new pontiff set when he made his first appearance on the balcony in St. Peter’s Square.
“The beginning [of his remarks] was, ‘Peace be with all of you. I bring to you the message of the risen Christ on the night of the resurrection.’ And then he closed by offering a word of peace and blessing,” Bishop Brennan said. “Those are just very human, very touching things.”
He also noted that the pontiff’s previous work as a missionary is impressive — “And now he’s taking on a new mission.”
Father West called the selection of an American pope “an energizing moment,” adding that he hopes Pope Leo XIV can inspire people to join the Catholic Church.
“He’s the vicar of Christ on earth. But as the pope, he has a worldwide pulpit to be able to speak to people throughout the world,” Father West said. “And I just hope that the pulpit and the way he imitates Christ in his role as the Bishop of Rome and Pope in the Church will bring people to the Church.”