Pope Leo XIV Anniversary 1st Tour Pilgrimage with a Special Blessing of his Boyhood Home in Illinois Organized by the New Pope Leo XIV American Legacy Foundation
To mark the first anniversary of the election of Pope Leo XIV, a Catholic organization based in Chicago’s south suburbs coordinated a debut pilgrimage to the Pontiff's childhood residence and his former home parish.
The journey, organized by the Pope Leo XIV American Legacy Foundation, departed downtown Chicago on May 8. The shuttle transported pilgrims to South Holland, Illinois, for a visit to Christ Our Savior Parish. This location is considered the “de facto home parish” of the Pope, who was known as Robert F. Prevost before his ascension.
The Spiritual Significance of the Journey
Vince Kolber, chair of the foundation, explained the strategic choice of the first stop to OSV News:
“That location has the tabernacle from St. Mary. What’s important about these three stops is that first we bring the Blessed Sacrament into our pilgrimage because Catholic pilgrimages do this. And Christ Our Savior is the nearest location of the Blessed Sacrament to the sites in south Chicago, St. Mary’s and the pope’s boyhood home.”
Despite the overcast weather, the church sanctuary—located just two miles from the Pope's childhood home—was over half-filled for a special Mass of thanksgiving. Father Joshua Caswell, superior of the St. John Cantius Canons Regular, concelebrated the Mass and addressed the Holy Father's mission in his homily:
“As people want to define who this Holy Father is — what is his agenda, his expectations — my dear friends, he has no other agenda than the salvation of souls. So let us today on this anniversary of his election, pray for him, ask Mother Mary to comfort him, to be with him. And let us — you, my dear friends, you here on the South Side — not only to pray for him, but to be proud of him. Because what good can come from Dolton? The very best. May God bless Pope Leo.”
A History of the Parish
Christ Our Savior represents the current evolution of the Prevost family’s original parish, St. Mary of the Assumption.
Location: Situated on Chicago's southern edge between Dolton and Riverdale.
Connection: Robert Prevost and his brothers served as altar servers here until he left for the Augustinian minor seminary at age 13.
Mergers: St. Mary of the Assumption merged with Our Lady of the Apostles in 2011, eventually becoming part of Christ Our Savior in 2019.
Local parishioners noted that while the aging congregation had been a concern, the "Pope Leo effect" is beginning to draw younger families back to the faith.
Preservation and Revitalization
The pilgrimage also visited the shuttered St. Mary of the Assumption building. The property is currently owned by Joe Hall, a Chicago DJ and head of the nonprofit JBlendz Enterprises. Hall plans a $15.2 million revitalization project to transform the campus into a community hub featuring:
A workforce development center.
Mental health and memory care services.
An oratory (in partnership with the Foundation).
Preservation Chicago has listed the site as one of the "Seven Most Endangered" in the city. Executive director Ward Miller noted:
“When we realized the pope was from this church, our awareness level increased dramatically. We made a tour of the building following this announcement.”
Reflecting on the sacredness of the now-dilapidated space, Father Caswell recalled a conversation with a Polish bishop who urged quick action:
“Because he had seen what had happened in Wadowice, Poland, the homeland of John Paul II, he said, ‘You have to get ahead of this, because in time this will be a major shrine.’”
The Boyhood Home
The final stop brought pilgrims to the Pope’s childhood home in Dolton. Now owned by the village, the house saw the hanging of a new papal portrait. Vince Kolber remarked on the providential nature of the project:
“The Holy Spirit has been very, very busy... Our mission, really, is to be the unifying presence of the Roman Catholic faith in this south land of Chicago, where the Prevost family lived and enjoyed and worked.”
Father Anthony B. Pizzo, representing the Midwest Augustinians, shared an email from the Pope himself, expressing his “best wishes” and “appreciation” for using the site to promote “social development.”
Blessing the portrait with holy water, Father Pizzo concluded:
“We ask that you bless this portrait, which reminds us of our brother, who on the global level continues to call us to a deep and abiding and profound peace in dialogue, in friendship, in fraternity. We ask that all those who pass through this home in the Village of Dolton, appreciate the hospitality of the citizens here and the residents of Dolton. And we ask that that hospitality, that welcoming, transforms our hearts, that we may be able to, in turn, clasp one another’s hands in that same friendship and fraternity.”
Source - https://catholicreview.org/first-ever-pilgrimage-celebrates-pope-leo-with-mass-visits-to-papal-boyhood-landmarks/
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