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May 28, 2025, Adrian, Michigan – Like many other people throughout the world, Adrian Dominican Sisters expressed joy, hope, and a sense of connection after the election on May 8, 2025, of Pope Leo XIV, a native of Chicago and the first U.S.-born pope. He has ministered largely in Peru and has dual U.S.-Peruvian citizenship.

Sister Xiomara Méndez-Hernández, Executive Director of the Dominican Sisters Conference (DSC), an organization of U.S.-based congregations of Dominican Sisters, happened to be in Rome during the conclave of Cardinals who elected the pope. 

“It was truly a remarkable experience for me to be in Rome during the election of Pope Leo XIV,” wrote Sister Xiomara. “Receiving his blessing in person at St. Peter’s Square was such a special moment.” She said the election of the Augustinian also “deeply resonates with our Dominican Order’s spirituality, especially as we follow the Rule of St. Augustine, just like the Augustinians.”

Sister Xiomara also has a special connection to Pope Leo XIV: both are graduates of Catholic Theological Union (CTU) in Chicago. She said the name of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, sounded familiar. “Later that night, I reached out to an Augustinian friend and classmate from CTU who immediately confirmed my suspicion. It was indeed the same Bishop Robert Francis Prevost who came from Peru to preside over [her friend’s] ordination nine years ago.” She added that she had been impressed at the time by his “gentle presence, simplicity, and his ever-present smile.”

A native of the Dominican Republic, Sister Xiomara noted that “hearing him ask for permission to speak in Spanish brought me immense joy. His call for peace, justice, unity, and love has truly renewed my hope, not only for the Church but for the entire world.”

Some 4,765 miles away, several Adrian Dominican Sisters and Co-workers gathered in the lobby of the Dominican Life Center at the Motherhouse in Adrian to await the revelation of the new pope. They also responded to this revelation with great joy.

Sister Linda Bevilacqua, OP, who attended this watch party, found the election of a cardinal from the United States to be “very exciting and extraordinarily surprising.” She described Pope Leo XIV as a “highly educated Friar … a global citizen, having traveled broadly, linguistically gifted … a missionary to the core, a citizen of the U.S. and Peru and a proponent of Pope Francis’ environmental agenda.”

Sister Linda also saw particular significance in his name. “The name he chose speaks clearly to the importance and relevance he has and will continue to place on Catholic social teaching.” Pope Leo XIII, in his 1891 encyclical (document) Rerum Novarum, is credited with beginning the modern tradition of Catholic social teaching by addressing the social issues arising from changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution. Some of the principles of Catholic social teaching include the dignity of the human person; call to family, community, and participation; option for the poor and vulnerable; the dignity of work; solidarity; and care for creation.
   
“I trust that our pope will guide and encourage us by his living, teaching, and preaching, so that, with our focused engagement, all persons will live in just and peaceful societies, and all creation will flourish,” Sister Linda concluded.

Some Sisters spoke to their connection to Pope Leo XIV through their own roots or involvement in Chicago. “Not only is he the first pope from the United States but also someone with whom I share common roots in Chicago,” Sister Mary Flan Fleischaker, OP, said. “In addition, Pope Leo XIV seems to have the heart of a shepherd and holds many of the same priorities as Pope Francis. All of this gives me great hope.”

In her response to the election of the pope, Sister Jean Tobin, OP, reflected on her own background in Chicago, growing up in a middle-class neighborhood where neighbors looked out for one another. She described a similar spirit in Pope Leo XIV. “I loved seeing him on that balcony, taking it all in and waving and accepting the love and joy emanating from the crowd,” she said. “I can also appreciate his missionary spirit, love of people, willingness to learn their languages and sense of justice.”

Perhaps one comment by Sister Mary Fran sums up the feelings of many of the Sisters and of many people throughout the world: “We have been given a surprising and timely gift in Leo XIV.” 
 

Caption for above feature photo: Sisters and Co-workers gather in the Dominican Life Center lobby to watch the announcement of the new pope.

April 24, 2025, Adrian, Michigan – In a recent Global Sisters Report article, Catholic Sisters from throughout the United States paid tribute to Pope Francis in response to his death on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88. He was remembered fondly for the inspiration and example he gave in reaching out to people who are marginalized, including immigrants; his support of women, and particularly of women religious; his call for care for Earth in his encyclical, Laudato Si’; his initiative to bring the Catholic Church together through the Synod on Synodality; and his efforts to bring about peace and justice.

Near the middle of the article, Adrian Dominican Sister Durstyne Farnan, OP, Dominican Leadership Conference representative to the United Nations, said she was inspired by Laudato Si’ and by the pope’s commitment to protecting the planet. “I am terribly grateful for him and his vision,” she said in the article.

Read the entire article by Dan Stockman and Chris Herlinger.  

Another Global Sisters Report article by Dan Stockman and Chris Herlinger quotes the statement by the General Council in response to the death of Pope Francis.

Sister Donna Markham, OP, former Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, met Pope Francis during his September 2015 visit to the United States when she was President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA. She accompanied him during his visit to a Catholic Charities soup kitchen in Washington, D.C., where he had lunch with the soup kitchen guests who were experiencing homelessness. 

The next day, Sister Donna had a private audience with Pope Francis in a local home. In an article published in the April 23, 2025, issue of The Daily Telegram, a newspaper serving Adrian and Lenawee County, she recalled noting tears in the eyes of other people who had just met privately with him. 

“I remember thinking that he represented absolute goodness and compassion,” Sister Donna was quoted as saying in the Telegram article. “And there was a certain genuineness about him, like I was the only person in the world for those few minutes that I was able to talk with him.”

Read the entire article by David Panian here. Please note that a subscription is required to read the article.

 

Caption for above feature photo: Sister Donna Markham, OP, then President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, greets Pope Francis in a private meeting during the pope’s 2015 visit to the United States.