On Saturday, June 14, Pope Leo XIV addressed the young people of his native Chicago and of the whole world in a special video message that was shared at a celebration in his honor at Rate Field, home of the White Sox! You can watch it at the player below.

In his message, Pope Leo draws upon St. Augustine’s famous quote about our inner restlessness (“Our hearts are restless until they rest in You, O God.”) and tells young people that “that restlessness is not a bad thing, and we shouldn’t look for ways to put out the fire, to eliminate or even numb ourselves to the tensions that we feel.” He then challenges youth to channel that restlessness into a search for meaning and communion, trusting that it is God who ultimately gives meaning to our lives.

Let us pray for our young people, especially those in our diocese, that they may feel empowered to be “beacons of hope,” as Pope Leo calls them. One of the goals of our Into the Deep process is to engage our youth and to encourage them to grow in their relationship with Jesus. May our parishes and schools truly be places that foster their growth in virtue, communion, and holiness, and may our youth put their energy and gifts at the service of the Church and one another!

The full text of Pope Leo’s address is available at madisondiocese.org/ournewpope.