The post White Sox to honor Pope Leo XIV with graphic installation, Mass at Rate Field appeared first on Sox On 35th.
Pope Leo XIV will be honored by the White Sox.
The team recently announced plans to host a Mass at Rate Field as well as unveil a graphic installation where the Pope watched Game 1 of the 2005 World Series. The graphic installation is set to be made public on Monday evening when the White Sox host the Seattle Mariners.
Leo, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was named as the new Pope of the Catholic Church on Thursday, May 8. Born in Chicago’s Mercy Hospital and raised in nearby Dolton, he is the first Pope to hail from the U.S. and has undoubtedly become one of Chicago’s most famous natives with his elevation to the papacy. After much debate on social media, his brother, John, also confirmed that he is a White Sox fan.
“He was never, ever a Cubs fan. So I don’t know where that came from. He was always a Sox fan,” John Prevost said in an interview with WGN. “Our mother was a Cubs fan. I don’t know, maybe that clued in there, and our dad was a Cardinals fan, so I don’t know where that all came from. And all the aunts in our mom’s family were from the north side, so that’s why they were Cubs fans.”
Thanks to a photo published by the Chicago Sun-Times, fans got their first glimpse of Pope Leo XIV at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series dressed in White Sox gear. Less than a day later, our team here at Sox on 35th uncovered the viral video that briefly showed the pontiff on the FOX broadcast before Bobby Jenks secured the 5-3 victory.
Eddie Schmit, the young fan shown next to the Pope, was just five years old at the time. In an interview with Sox on 35th, the now 25-year-old recalled his family’s special relationship with the Pope, his memory from the game they all attended together, and the surprise when he rolled back the tape from Game 1.
“I remember a buddy of mine a few years ago found that clip, and he’s like, ‘Dude, you and your dad are on TV at the World Series,’” Eddie recalled. “I’m like, ‘No s–t. I didn’t even know this.’
“So, when all this transpired, I kind of was like, ‘Wow, what if [Pope Leo XIV] is the one standing next to me at the game?’ I didn’t really think about it because I didn’t really know him like that. I was only five years old, and then sure enough, he was standing right next to me and, you know, that seat … we still have those exact same seats. They’re different now than they were in the World Series. I think that they were the blue seats back then. But he was still sitting right there, same section, same row, everything.”
The White Sox say the soon-to-come pillar artwork commemorates the pope’s Chicago roots “and the unifying power of baseball on the world stage.”
The Mass honoring the new pope will follow next month in the afternoon of Saturday, June 14, the Archdiocese of Chicago said on Saturday. The White Sox will be out of town that day, taking on the Texas Rangers in Arlington.
As we learn of additional details, we’ll provide further updates.
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Featured Photo: © David Banks-Imagn Images
The post White Sox to honor Pope Leo XIV with graphic installation, Mass at Rate Field appeared first on Sox On 35th.