Peace be with you! Dearest brothers and sisters, this was the first greeting of the risen Christ, the good shepherd who gave His life for the flock of God. I, too, would like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families and all people, wherever they are; and all the peoples, and all the earth: Peace be with you.

- Pope Leo XIV

Dear friends,

I was only in 6th grade when Pope Francis was elected. I still remember sitting in history class when the parish bells began ringing and didn’t stop for quite some time. We were in a public school, but our teacher stopped class to announce to us that a new pope had been elected anyways. Thinking back on it, I think this was the first time that I remember being aware of the Pope as a real person.

This time, that role was reversed. This time, I was the teacher who was constantly pausing class to update my students on the conclave. The past week has been a constant attempt to build a sense of anticipation and excitement, which seemed to bear fruit. I even had the pleasure of announcing the name of the new Pope to our student body over the intercom. Leo XIV. The man who, assuming he lives a long and healthy life, will be the shepherd of the Church for my students’ formative years. Moreover, he’ll fill that role as the first American pope, not to mention a native son of Illinois.

After Francis’ death, I had a palpable feeling of nervousness about the conclave. The papal shoes are difficult to fill and the more I read about the college of cardinals, the more I wondered if we had anyone who could do the job well. I had begun to content myself with someone who be fine as pope, at best. The sort of pontiff who quietly steers the Barque, hopefully avoiding scandal and governing the Church well.

For whatever reason, all of that melted away when Pope Leo XIV stepped onto the loggia. I was filled with a strong feeling of hope, fitting for our jubilee year. That feeling continued to rise as he spoke, announcing the peace of Christ to the world. The peace that the world can’t give, but desperately tries to sell us. As I watched him tremble, just a bit, under the weight of his new office, I felt a deep sense of affection and love towards him. Peter, after all this time, is still with us. And Peter, of course, carries with him the promises of Christ.

The Gates of Hell shall not prevail.

Look, I know that if it’s foolish to canonize someone just after they’ve died, it’s even more foolish to canonize them as they still live. I don’t intend to do that. I know that he probably won’t be a perfect pope (though, who has been?). All I can say is that I feel very, very hopeful for the Church with the election of Leo XIV. Right now, it really does feel like we can take on the gates of Hell.

Our new lion, the servant of the Lion of Judah, has already roared the gospel to the world. Let’s follow him. By doing so we’ll fulfill the Great Commission of our Lord:

Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.

In the peace of Christ,

Joe Siemer

Dreaming of the Rood

P.S. - Apologies for how long its been since we’ve posted anything. Life has been crazy for both of us but as school winds down our output should increase. We also have an exciting new project planned for the near future, so stay tuned for that!

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