‘Immediate reaction was goose bumps’; Boylan priest reacts to election of Pope Leo

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Many Rockford locals were full of holiness, excitement and joy knowing that the next Pope of the Catholic church has been selected.

At Boylan Catholic High School, students were watching a live stream, waiting for the announcement.

The Spiritual Director and Assistant Principal of Boylan, Father Bobby Blood, said the selection of Pope Leo XIV of Chicago will take a while to set in.

“[My] immediate reaction was goose bumps, right? I don’t speak Italian, so I’m trying to parse out the names, and it just sort of washed over me, and just an excitement,” said Father Blood. “You feel the sting the last few days of not having a holy Father. And so there’s just hope. So, I was so excited and I immediately ran down to make the announcement to the students. We have the pope. This is his new name. This is where he’s from. And I’m sure we’ll spend the next few weeks celebrating that reality together.”

Bishop David Malloy will hold a special mass at St. Peter’s Cathedral on Friday at 6:30 p.m. to pray for Pope Leo the 14th.

Pope Leo XIV is the first Pope from the U.S.