Members and guests of the Catholic Community Foundation’s Women’s Giving Circle got some deeper insight into Pope Leo XIV during a recent “Sip & Learn” event. Guest speaker was Andrew Staron, associate professor of systematic theology at Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology.
Staron said the timing of the Oct. 9 event was fortuitous, since the pope released his first exhortation that day, “Dilexi Te,” translated from Latin as “I Have Loved You.” It was started by the late Pope Francis and completed by Pope Leo. (Click here to read Bishop Edward Malesic’s thoughts on the exhortation.)
He gave some background on both the pope and St. Augustine before moving into a discussion of the exhortation. Staron also offered a few papal trivia tidbits:
- Pope Leo loves long road trips.
- As the first American pope, the public has access to interesting background information, including his high school yearbook photo.
- He is the first Augustinian pope and served many years as a missionary, then a bishop in Peru.
- The new pope was named to a key Vatican position, prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, and met regularly with Pope Francis.
- The late pope made him a cardinal (in 2023) and promoted him from cardinal deacon to the top tier: cardinal bishop (2025). “Could he have been hinting at his successor?” Staron questioned.
He provided some background on St. Augustine and his “restless heart,” which he said was only eased through Jesus. Augustine espoused unity of truth, said love of the world is good, but should be ordered with God and stressed the importance of friendship and unity of Church, Staron added.
Several small religious communities that followed Augustine’s rule were merged into the Augustinians in 1244 by the pope after the saint’s death, he said. They embrace community, with living in unity as the order’s goal. Staron said Pope Leo is establishing a small monastic house in the apostolic palace in Rome, where he will live with four other Augustinians.
He explained the new pope’s episcopal motto, “In the One, we are one,” which espouses unity, a key principle of the Augustinians. His seal also reflects his Augustinian background.
The pope chose his name after reflecting on the work of Pope Leo XIII, who served in the late 19th century, helping the Church deal with industrialization, the rise of capitalism and the beginning of Catholic Social Teaching.
In addition to Staron’s presentation, the group heard from some of the organizations that received WGC grants this year. The event took place at Valley Overlook, a family-run facility surrounded by the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
For more information on the Women’s Giving Circle, click here.