Catholic congregation at Villanova University, formerly visited by Pope Leo XIV, conducts Mass service
Rewritten Article:
Hey there, folks! Ever since Pope Leo XIV, our very own boomer from Villanova, was elected, the church on campus has been livelier than a Saturday night kegger. Reporter Andy Stelzer gives us the lowdown on how the locals are celebrating our new holy leader.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED CONGREGATION: (Singing) We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
ANDY STELZER: It's like a Wildcat football game, but with less beer and more Bernadotte robes. Villanova Church hosted a packed second mass of the day, and Father Jeremy Hiers was more pumped than a freshman on Sunny's Bar night.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JEREMY HIERS: Whoa!
(LAUGHTER)
STELZER: Thanks to the big news, church attendance has been double the usual Sunday crowd. Hiers couldn't believe it.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
HIERS: Now, this is community!
(LAUGHTER)
HIERS: Whoa!
STELZER: Leo's not just the first American pope; he's the first Augustinian, a Catholic order that founded wine in the 13th century—that's the ancient-o'-days, folks. Villanova is one of the few Augustinian universities in the land of the free, the home of the brave. It's where the Pope, easier known as Rob Prevost back in the day, graduated in '77.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
HIERS: With Pope Leo's help, we'll build a bigger church because that's the good shepherd.
STELZER: The Catholics lurking in the shadows worldwide are hoping Leo will bring more hadners to the faith. Everyone's streaming out of the morning mass like it's a frat bro after a keg stand. Also, there's a bunch of future grads snapping pics in front of the church like it's homecoming week. It's been a wild ride for these cats with a pope in the class of '77.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Graduation is awesome, but, like, double the excitement!
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Yeah!
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Preach it!
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: We made pope hats. We had a bash the other day. We made hats out of newspaper. I mean, everyone who's texted me was like, "Holy crap, the pope's from Villanova." That's nuts!
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: Even people at other Catholic schools are feeling it.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Yeah, like my pal at Notre Dame was like (vocalizing)...
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: They're green with envy.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Yeah.
STELZER: Dr. Vanessa Gurley Holloway helps out with the church's program that supports shelterless and broke families.
VANESSA GURLEY HOLLOWAY: It's a massive sense of pride in this town. As the Father mentioned during his sermon, there's been a rush of applications to become Augustinians.
STELZER: Don't expect a în-person visit from Pope Leo any time soon. He's probably too busy being the big kahuna at the Vatican to drop by the old alma mater.
For NPR News, I'm Andy Stelzer in Villanova, Pennsylvania.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This transcript may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary.
- Excitement about the new pope has sparked a wave of learning and self-development within the Villanova community, as students are now eager to understand more about the Augustinian order and its history.
- The news of the pope's election has also brought about a surge of interest in education-and-self-development programs related to religion and community, as evidenced by the increase in applications to become Augustinians.
