Mass celebrated by Bishop James Ruggieri to pray for Pope Leo XIV

Asking the faithful to unite their prayers around the Eucharist for Pope Leo XIV, Bishop James Ruggieri celebrated a Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland in honor of the newly elected Holy Father.

“May God give him strength, resilience, always a joyful heart, and the wisdom and understanding that he needs to lead us, the flock, forward in faith,” Bishop Ruggieri said during the Mass, which was celebrated on Wednesday, May 15.

Bishop Ruggieri, who was joined by Bishop Emeritus Robert Deeley and 13 priests from around the diocese for the Mass, spoke of the excitement felt when the new pope was named and said he feels proud to be Catholic at this time, citing gifts such as the sacraments and the Petrine ministry.

“We have the successor of Peter leading our Church: the one that carries on this ministry that was first given to Peter,” the bishop said. “I feel the security of having the vicar of Christ on earth as my shepherd. We pray for him at every Mass. We pray for his resilience. We pledge our loyalty and love to him. And I would please pray that the Petrine office that he now shares will help him, like Peter, to grow in this agapaō, this kind of love that is deeper than a peripheral, ephemeral love.”

The bishop said that while Pope Leo XIV seems to be “quite a man” and “quite a disciple” from what we have heard and read, the Petrine ministry “will expand his heart to love like Christ: this sacrificial, selfless, salvific way, making himself a gift even more deeply than he has up to this point in his ministry.”

The bishop noted that in this tumultuous time, the pope will face much suffering and challenge as he carries the burden of being the successor of St. Peter, but he stressed that Pope Leo will not carry that burden alone. Christ will be with him.

“That’s my hope for Pope Leo, that he never forgets that,” the bishop said. “There'll be much suffering, but he will never suffer alone. And we, for our part, we accompany him by our prayers, by our loyalty, and by our love.”

Parishioners who gathered at the cathedral for the Mass said they wanted to be there to join with others in praying for the new pope, who is the first pope from the United States and the first Augustinian to lead the Church.

“I think it’s a wonderful thing to have a pope from the United States. It’s great. It sounds like the Holy Spirit helped make the decision, and that is what we were all rooting for. We’re not looking for politics. We want someone who has the mission of the Church in mind,” said Michael Weldon, a parishioner from Portland.

“My reaction was one of joy for the Church and of joy for the Augustinian Order. I think his motto (“In the One, we are one”) shows the charism that he's going to use moving forward,” said Nathan Maurais, of Windham, who attended Merrimack College in Massachusetts, which is run by the Augustinians.

“We were just thrilled and surprised and just thankful,” said Melissa Maurais, Nathan's wife.

Nathan and Melissa said they had an opportunity to meet then-Father Robert Prevost in the early 2000’s when they attended a young adult conference in Spain offered by the Augustinians, so they were particularly hoping he would be the one selected by the cardinal electors.

“My impressions of him were that he was a very peaceful person, a kind, sort of quiet person,” said Melissa.

The couple said the new pope is a friend of friend, Father Joe Farrell, who married them and who is now vicar general of the worldwide Augustinian Order. They were already planning to visit Father Farrell in Rome, Italy, this summer, and said they now hope that visit might include an opportunity to see Pope Leo XIV.