“Astonished.” “Overjoyed.” “Disbelieving.” “Hopeful.”
These words barely scratch the surface of how faithful of the Diocese of Trenton reacted to news of the election of Pope Leo XIV as the Church’s first North American pope.
Pastors and parishioners, students and teachers celebrated, and many shared their reactions and comments with The Monitor.
Msgr. Kenard Tuzeneu, pastor, and Father Walter Quiceno, parochial vicar, St. Mary Parish, Barnegat:
Msgr. Kenard Tuzeneu, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Barnegat, prays during Adoration during the Eucharistic Revival Mass celebrated last summer. Mike Ehrmann photo
“I was in the rectory watching and waiting on my cell phone and on my secretary’s computer, with [staff] and volunteers, for who would be the new Pope,” said Father Walter Quiceno, parochial vicar in St. Mary Parish, Barnegat. “We were very excited and I got somehow very nervous about knowing who he could be.”
Msgr. Kenard Tuzeneu, St. Mary pastor, was “cutting the lawn” he admitted, when he heard a ding on his phone and saw a picture of the white smoke that a deacon had sent him. Nearby, St. Mary Academy, had been following the action with a watch party and saw the smoke.
“I called my sister” to see who it was, he said, and “I was shocked – I never thought it would be an American!”
“Our initial reaction was a sense of incredulity, since we never heard that Cardinal Prevost was one of the favorites,” Father Quiceno said, “but at the same time we got tears of joy and amazement since we thought we would never meet in our lives an American Pope. We were so grateful to God. Indeed, our thoughts and ways are different than God’s thoughts and ways.”
After Father Quiceno received countless calls and Facebook comments, he went home to quietly research Pope Leo XIV’s ministry in Peru.
“The more I read, the more amazed I got, finding out the wonderful Pope God has given us,” he said.
“I hope that he’s a boost to the American Church, maybe bringing people back,” Msgr. Tuzeneu said. “In general, I hope he’s a great voice for the Church. He’ll be at this for a long time, he’s a young man. It’s a tremendous burden, so he needs our prayers.”
Father Walter Quiceno, parochial vicar of St. Mary Parish, Barnegat, is shown during the funeral Mass for Pope Francis at the Vatican. Facebook photo
Father Quiceno hopes that Pope Leo XIV’s papacy “goes beyond my imagination. I’ve been reflecting on how this is our Jubilee Year of Hope and how God is giving us so much hope with Pope Leo XVI.”
Calling him “the American Pope with the Latino heart,” Father Quiceno said, “I can tell he is a brave man who will know how to face the challenges of this world right now. He has had an incredible pastoral experience as an Augustinian, and he really can see the world as wide as it is. I am sure that God has chosen him, and he is already so guided by the Holy Spirit. He will preach us the truth, that truth that will really set us free.”
Father Jason Parzynski, pastor, St. David the King Parish, Princeton Junction:
Along with the “definite excitement about having an American as the new pope,” Father Jason Parzynski was also heartened to learn about the Holy Father’s background as an Augustinian priest and his deep connection to St. Augustine.
“St. Augustine is the most frequently quoted theologian in the Catechism and has been a profound influence on my own spiritual life and ministry,” said Father Parzynski, pastor of St. David the King Parish, Princeton Junction. Additionally, he said he views Pope Leo’s missionary background and a clear focus on evangelization to be “incredibly inspiring.
“It’s a strong reminder that the Church’s mission remains outward-focused, calling us to bring the Gospel to the world,” he said.
Father Jason Parzynski is shown during a Mass celebrated in St. David the King Church, Princeton Junction, where he serves as pastor. Monitor file photo
Father Parzynski said that many of his parishioners are expressing a sense of anticipation and curiosity about Pope Leo being that he has not been particularly public prior to his election.
While the general sentiment seems to be an eagerness to see what direction he will take the Church and how he will choose to lead, Father Parzynski said, a good indication can be gleaned from the Holy Father’s opening homily on May 9 that “gave us a good sense of his focus and priorities.
“By drawing on the teachings of St. Augustine and quoting St. Ignatius of Antioch, the most Eucharistic of the Church Fathers, he emphasized the need to know Christ deeply and to understand that following him carries specific expectations,” Father Parzynski said.
“Personally, I am hopeful for this papacy,” Father Parzynski said. “I pray that Pope Leo XIV will have the strength, wisdom and compassion to reach out and bring healing to the divisions within the Church.
“If we can come together as a single, united Body of Christ, we will be far more effective in reaching those who are lost and bringing them into the light and love of Christ,” he said.
Father John Folchetti, pastor, St. Leo the Great Parish, Lincroft:
Parishioners of St. Leo the Great Parish, Lincroft, were “so excited” to learn that the new Pope took the name Leo – a name already dear to their hearts, with their parish named for the first Pope Leo.
Father John Folchetti
“It’s just fantastic,” said Father John Folchetti, pastor. “We consider it such an honor. The parishioners all clapped on Sunday.”
Father Folchetti said the parish looks forward to celebrating the new Pope in a special way in the upcoming weeks. He noted that Pope Leo himself explained that “he chose the name to honor Pope Leo XIII, who was a great champion of the human person. So, it’s a very exciting time.”
Luann Kildea, St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville:
“I was at work when it happened,” said Luann Kildea of where she was when she heard the news. The parishioner of St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville, works in a dialysis center in Princeton, “and most of the patients and staff are not Catholic,” she said. However, she and her social worker – both devout Catholics – had been keeping tabs on the election.
“We were very excited that it could happen at any moment,” she said. “One of the staff members who is not Catholic yelled from the break room, ‘there’s white smoke!’ So, my social worker and I put EWTN on our computers and watched.”
The best feeling, Kildea said, was “seeing all these non-Catholic Christians who were so interested in this, so excited about it. They were asking me ‘what does it mean? What does the Pope do?’ We thought this was a great opportunity to share our faith and teach others about it.
“I’m hoping for a lot of unity in the Church, that we can really build it back up,” she said.
Tim and Melissa Hitzel, St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville:
“I thought there’s no chance it will be an American – but after I have learned more about him, he’s very international,” said Tim Hitzel, parishioner of St. Ann, Lawrenceville. “It makes perfect sense, having spent a lot of time in Peru and Italy. A man of the world!”
“I’m extremely hopeful for our future,” Melissa Hitzel agreed. “I like the fact that he, like Francis, he is interested in the poor and the less fortunate, and that he looks out for the underdog.”
Frank Prezioso, St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Yardville:
“I was elated beyond words – an American!” said Frank Prezioso, member of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Yardville. He’s the Holy Father, and I’m going to respect his authority. … I feel this great elation, I feel alive. I’m excited to see what he’s going to do. He’s gotta be the new ‘rock.’”
John and Jessica Trombino, St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Yardville:
“I’m a big believer in the power of God and spirituality and how the Holy Spirit works in our lives – so when I watched the media coverage of the pope being chosen, it bothered me because they look at it like a [political] election,” said John Trombino, parishioner of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Yardville, with his wife Jessica. “I think of it as the Holy Spirit is working through them, and God doesn’t make mistakes. Whether I agree with what the pope says or does, I know beyond any reasonable doubt that he is there because that’s who God wants there, and he’s there to be the successor of Peter.”
“I was excited because it’s not every day you have a successor of St. Peter, our beloved pope,” Jessica said “Immediately I wanted to research him because I don’t know much about him, and so upon research I am just praying for our Pope Leo, and I just trust in God’s will being done.”
John noted that the Body of Christ “is not separate in America from the Body of Christ in Italy … I look at him as a Christian, a Catholic, and then an American. And yes, I still have a little bit of pride!”
Shocked that the new pope is a Chicago native, Jessica said “I’ll be honest, I feel like we are in some prophetic times, so it’s going to be interesting to see our new pope, how he’s going to incorporate his American culture with the way he moves forward in the papacy.
She got the impression that Pope Leo XIV will keep some of Pope Francis’ charisms in mind, and she loved his first papal blessing. “ It’s an incredible moment for him. He’s so young – I have a feeling he’ll be around for a while!”
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