The pope doesn’t check his own email, right?
Pope Leo XIV may not be the first pontiff with an inbox, but when Father Max Villeneuve, OSA, pastor at Our Mother of Good Counsel Church in Los Feliz, dashed off an email to his fellow Augustinian letting him know about the parish’s upcoming 100th anniversary, he never really expected a response.
But when Villeneuve woke up the next morning, he found a personal reply from the man himself, congratulating the pastor, the parish, and offering a special blessing for the anniversary.
“He’s [emailing] to give my blessing to the people in the parish,” Villeneuve said. “It’s like, how’s he still checking his email? But that’s just kind of how he is.”
Leo’s special connection with Our Mother of Good Counsel ensured that the parish’s 100th anniversary celebration on Sept. 6 was no ordinary centennial.
At a special, parish-wide Mass that afternoon, Archbishop José H. Gomez mentioned him several times during his homily. A portrait of the pope hung in the parish’s vestibule. And several remembered how then-Father Robert Prevost would spend the night at Our Mother of Good Counsel during visits to LA as prior general for the Augustinians, the religious order that founded the parish in 1925.
“Of course, we need to give thanks for the dedication of the Augustinian religious order working here,” Archbishop Gomez told the crowd. “They’ve been here for 100 years. Thank you very much. I hope you will be here for the next 100 years.”
In his homily, Archbishop Gomez noted how Leo has a devotion to the parish’s patroness, Our Lady of Good Counsel, and how he visited the shrine near Rome a couple of days after his election.
“Pope Leo said at the shrine: ‘As the mother never abandons her children, you must also be faithful to the Mother,’ ” Archbishop Gomez said. “So, let’s make that promise to our Mother today, that we will always be faithful to her.
“And may Our Lady of Good Counsel help us to take up our cross again, to renew our love for her son, and to deepen our desire to be Jesus’ faithful disciples.”
Sitting in the front row during the Mass was Father Gary Sanders, OSA, a former pastor at Our Mother of Good Counsel and a longtime friend of the pontiff.
In fact, Sanders knew the future pope before he was even a priest. Sanders remembered showing Prevost — then a young seminarian — around town in San Francisco nearly 50 years ago.
“One of the Augustinians says, take them here and here and here,” Sanders said. “And I said, ‘No, I didn’t take them there, because these guys are in their 20s. They’re not in their 60s.’
“But I remember their enthusiasm because I was always so happy to show people around and he never forgot it, and I never forgot it.”
As luck would have it, Sanders had planned to be in Rome in June to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his ordination. Soon after Leo was elected in May, Sanders got a sudden invitation for a private audience at the Vatican with his friend. He said the two picked up their conversation right back up as if no time had passed.
“I am privileged to truly say he is a personal friend of mine,” Sanders said. “And I can honestly say he’s a friend to Augustinians. To people who believe, he will be a friend. To people who want leadership in the Church, he will be a friend.”
Villeneuve also has a Leo connection of his own, having been a seminarian during Prevost’s stint as director of formation for the Augustinians in Chicago. To Villeneuve, Prevost was like a celebrity, having just finished serving his term as prior general. But between breakfasts and chats with Prevost, he found the future pope especially welcoming.
“What you see on the TV is exactly how he is in person,” Villeneuve said. “He is very thoughtful, very approachable. He loves to talk about ideas and kind of flesh things out. You can see he’s a very systematic thinker.”
And the White Sox fandom is real, Villeneuve said.
“I came down one night, and this was a late September meaningless game between the White Sox and the Royals,” Villeneuve said. “And I’m like, what are we doing watching this White Sox game? And he just looks at me and says, ‘I like the White Sox.’ So that ended that conversation. I’m like, OK, I guess we’re watching the White Sox.”
Back at Our Mother of Good Counsel, the event celebrated its past while looking to the future. At the beginning of the Mass, a candle was lit with a card underneath that read “1925-2025.” When the Mass was ending, another candle was lit, this time with a card that said “2025-2125.” The crowd broke out in applause.
“These parishioners love this parish,” said Villeneuve, who arrived at the parish this summer. “I always thought the stereotype is everyone in LA is from somewhere else, but here we have parishioners that are here 20, 30, 40, 50 years.”
Sandra Gonzalez is one of them, having belonged to Our Mother of Good Counsel since she was born in 1954. A member of the parish’s centennial committee, she saw the celebration is about passing the faith to future generations.
“It’s not just about going to Mass,” said Gonzalez. “All the ministries that we have here are important to us, but we want to make them attractive and encourage other generations to come and participate.”
Following the Mass, the celebration continued with a grand reception in the parish hall, with food, dancing, raffles, an auction, and a proclamation from Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman.
Father Jim Mott, OSA, a longtime pastor at Our Mother of Good Counsel, received a standing ovation.
Needless to say, between Our Mother of Good Counsel’s anniversary and Leo’s election, it’s been a good year for the Augustinians in LA.
“It’s an honor,” Sanders said. “The Augustinians, we’re not supposed to have pride, but you’ll have to forgive us. We’re very proud.”
