Villanova alumni praise Robert Prevost, now Pope Leon XIV

Villanova alumni who spent time with Robert Prevost, now Pope Leon XIV, still remember rubbing shoulders with the new pope.

The Rev. John Lydon, who spent 10 years living with the pope while on a mission in Peru, said he is an excellent singer, and likes to cook. “Down in Peru, he would cook for us, and you know, make pizza every so often,” Lydon told the Associated Press.

Back in 1977, Lydon was the commencement speaker for their arts and sciences class at Villanova, too.

The school on the suburban Main Line near Philadelphia had reached the pinnacle of men’s college basketball three times — winning championships in 1985, 2016 and 2018. But celebrating a pope in their ranks was literally unprecedented.

“People were here down in the foyer of the Saint Augustine Friary watching it on the news, tears and people yelling and screaming and it was just an incredible outburst of emotion,” said the Rev. Rob Hagan.

Known for long serving as Villanova’s athletics department chaplain, Hagan spent his second year of a spiritual training boot camp of sorts 27 years ago to become an Augustinian. It was in Racine, Wisconsin, a place where through his regional leadership position Prevost would visit newbies like Hagan. He is now the Prior Provincial at The Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova.

Prevost, 69, is a member of the Augustinian religious order and was formerly the prior general, or leader. The Order of St. Augustine was formed in the 13th century as a community of “mendicant” friars — dedicated to poverty, service and evangelization.

The requirements and ethos of the order are traced to the fifth century St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the theological and devotional giants of early Christianity. Villanova is one of two Catholic, Augustinian higher learning institutions in the U.S., according to its website. Villanova is rooted in the values of truth, unity, and love, inspired by the teachings of St. Augustine.
✏️ / 🎥 : @apnews