Fr. Joe Barron, PES, grew up in the Midwest, was sent to Peru as a missionary and now serves at St. Isaac Jogues Parish in St. Clair Shores.

So when the Pro Ecclesia Sancta priest found out Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, the Chicago-born Augustinian missionary who was previously bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, had been elected as Pope Leo XIV, he saw lot of himself in the pontiff when he first appeared on the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

“It felt like he was directly speaking to me, because I’m from the Midwest as well and I spent a lot of time in Peru,” Fr. Barron told Detroit Catholic. “It’s just a beautiful gift from God to have him as our leader.”

detroitcatholic.com

Peruvian past will impact Pope Leo's papacy, Detroit-area missionaries say - Detroit Catholic

‘The Holy Spirit is calling us to evangelize,’ says St. Clair Shores priest who served in Peru in reaction to Pope Leo’s election