A group of 50 pilgrims from the South Side of Chicago received a grace Catholics lining up for one of Pope Leo XIV’s Wednesday General Audiences could only dream about: a personal encounter with the Chicago-born pope in St. Peter’s Square.
Known as the “White Sox Parish” because of its proximity to the baseball team’s Rate Field stadium, the Nativity of Our Lord and St. Gabriel parish community easily pinged Pope Leo’s Chicago radar — even 5,000 miles away in Vatican City.
With clever signs, the shouts and chants, and a few hints from Pope Leo’s brother about just the right gifts to bring from Chicago’s Fannie May Chocolates, the 50 pilgrims — 40 from Chicago and 10 friends from New York City — managed to catch “Father Bob’s” attention from the popemobile.
During the livestream of the General Audience, available on EWTN News’ YouTube channel, Pope Leo can be seen leaning toward his secretaries and indicating the group from “St. Gabe’s,” the parish school where his brother John Prevost once served as principal.
“We’ve got some candy for you,” their Deacon Rob Morris shouted.
One by one, gifts for Pope Leo were passed toward the Holy Father’s security detail.
Then another name came from the crowd, making sure Pope Leo knew exactly who was waiting for him:
“Anne Russell is here.”
More on her in a moment.
Pope Leo then turned his attention to the practical question of how he would find the group again.
“Where will you be?” he asked.
After establishing that the pilgrims would still be around, he gave them a simple instruction:
“Hold that sign up.”
From the popemobile to a personal meeting
It was a moment characteristic of the organizational side of “Father Bob” that friends and acquaintances have described: whether arranging photographs of his brother cardinals or giving pastoral announcements from the sagrato of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo appears to have a habit of making sure the details are taken care of.
And the parish sign worked.
After the General Audience, the pilgrims were located by the Swiss Guards and brought forward to meet the pope.
“Anne Russell is here”
Among them was Anne Russell.
At 92, Russell is more than 20 years Pope Leo’s senior. They were certainly not classmates at St. Rita of Cascia High School, the all-boys Augustinian school on Chicago’s South Side. In fact, Pope Leo never attended St. Rita as a student.
But the two did walk the same hallways.
Russell was working as a secretary at St. Rita when the young Robert Prevost, then an Augustinian brother and later substitute teaching as a priest, taught math and physics at the school.
It was the beginning of a connection that would span nearly half a century.
Prevost later became provincial of the Midwest Augustinians, overseeing St. Rita and appointing its president in 2000. His ministry eventually took him much farther from Chicago — first through leadership of the worldwide Augustinian Order and years of missionary and episcopal ministry in Peru, and ultimately to Rome.
But during visits home from Peru or Rome, he continued returning to St. Rita, celebrating Mass and visiting students, and each time seeing and greeting Anne Russell.
Russell knew him through those different chapters, long before Bishop Prevost, Cardinal Prevost or Pope Leo XIV.
To her, he was “Father Bob,” the same way she addresses him in the occasional email.
That explains why, amid thousands of voices in St. Peter’s Square, simply shouting “Anne Russell is here” was enough to mean something.
Russell later described the encounter as an extraordinary moment in a friendship stretching back almost half a century.
More ties to Pope Leo’s Chicago roots
But Anne was not the only pilgrim carrying an unusual personal connection to Chicago’s first pope.
Janeen Ballay shares a remarkable coincidence with Pope Leo dating back to the very beginning of his life: she and Robert Francis Prevost were born on exactly the same day — Sept. 14, 1955 — in the same Chicago hospital, Mercy Hospital.
Then there was Ashley Griggs, a blind pilgrim traveling with the group, who was particularly struck by “Pope Leo’s sincerity,” she shared.When it came time for the group photograph, she was called forward and placed near the front.
“A benefit of being short,” she laughed.
A taste of Chicago for Pope Leo
And then, of course, there was the candy.
The pilgrims had done their homework before leaving Chicago. Pope Leo’s brother John gave them some advice about what his brother would appreciate from home: Fannie May Chocolates.
In particular, Pixies — the Chicago chocolatier’s combination of caramel, pecans and milk chocolate.
So when the deacon called out from the crowd, “We’ve got some candy for you,” it was not simply a box of chocolates being handed to the pope.
It was something familiar from home.
The same could be said for almost everything about the encounter.
“St. Gabe’s.”
“Anne Russell is here.”
Fannie May Pixies.
A sign held above the crowd.
These were small details, but together they were enough for a group from Chicago’s South Side to distinguish itself among the thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
For the 50 pilgrims who had traveled thousands of miles from Chicago and New York, it was an encounter with the pope they will surely never forget.
For Robert Prevost, there were familiar names, familiar places and even familiar chocolates waiting for him.