The Church and the world continue to celebrate the election of our new Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV! It has been a while since we have had the opportunity to “get to know” a new leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, and as we hear more, read more, and learn more, may our hearts continue to be enlivened and rejoice that through the work of the Holy Spirit our earthly institution has a new shepherd to help guide us to the heavenly kingdom!

One of the things that interests and excites me about Pope Leo XIV is his long service to the Church in Peru, and not only because many of the Holy Cross religious who have served in Peru have gotten to meet and know the former Cardinal Prevost. Knowing that our new pope has the heart of a missionary gives an indication of the compassion and care for the most vulnerable that informs him as he guides the broader Church. 

Bishop Bud Colgan, C.S.C., also spent decades ministering in Peru and served as bishop there, and, like Leo XIV, he was served well by his  missionary spirit and joyful service of those who are most vulnerable. I saw the work of then Fr. Colgan at the growing parish when I briefly served there as a seminarian and was there when it was announced that he would be made a bishop for the people of Peru. Even my limited experience of those months in Peru at our Holy Cross schools and parish helped to shape my understanding of the universal nature of the Catholic Church. It is not just learning the language (which is important) but the desire to enter into the life of the families and community that creates the lasting bonds.  

The work of Holy Cross in Peru has grown incredibly since my time there in 1998 (so hard to believe it has been that long!). The work in education at El Colegio Fe y Alegria #25 for those K-12 students and the incredible work at Yancana Huasy, a school and resource for those with special needs and their families, continues to bear out that the dignity of every human person is to be honored, respected, and nurtured. Lord of Hope Parish serves over 300,000 faithful in 16 area chapels and tends to sacramental and spiritual needs as well as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless and tending to the sick and infirm. Within the parish the mediclinic, El Policlínico Hermano Andrés, tends to thousands of people who would not otherwise have access to medical care of any kind. There is great need, and there is always a great response in faith!

All of this came to mind this past Sunday when I was blessed to be in St. Peter’s Square for Pope Leo XIV’s first Sunday address. Planned more than a year ago, the meeting of the Holy Cross Commission on Mission and Ministries provided me with quite an opportunity! It was a joyful moment, a proud moment, a faith-filled moment of hearing from Pope Leo XIV and learning a bit more of who he is. Among many things he emphasized was the need for peace in our world, the care for one another, and the joyful acknowledgement that this is a moment of resurgence in faith of our young people. 

My friends, let us continue to pray for our Pope, who gave so much of his life and ministry to service of the Church in Peru. And thank you for your prayers and support of the work of Holy Cross, especially our continued efforts in Peru, educating minds and hearts, caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, while always making God known, loved, and served!

Fr. Tom Eckert, C.S.C.
Director, Holy Cross Mission Center

Published May 2025