The White Sox will honor the team’s most prominent fan next month, with its ballpark set to host a Mass and celebration of Pope Leo XIV.
The newly installed Pope Leo will be honored at an event on Saturday, June 14, at Rate Field, 333 W. 35th St., the Archdiocese of Chicago announced. The event will feature music, film and in-person testimonials about Pope Leo, who was born on the South Side and is a lifelong White Sox fan.
A Catholic Mass will also be celebrated at the event, according to the archdiocese. More information, including a start time for the event and ticketing information, will be released soon.
“Pope Leo XIV’s message of peace, unity and the key to a meaningful life have touched hearts across the globe,” the archdiocese said in a statement. “This celebration is an extraordinary opportunity for people from the city and beyond to come together in shared pride for one of our own.”
The White Sox are also planning to unveil a “graphic installation” honoring the pope, according to the Sun-Times. It will mark where the pope sat in the stadium during game one of the 2005 World Series between the Sox and the Astros.
Pope Leo, who was previously known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, celebrated his inaugural Mass as pope at the Vatican Sunday after being selected in early May to succeed Pope Francis. Prevost, who was born in Bronzeville and lived in suburban Dolton, is the first pope from the United States in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history.
Television footage from game one of the 2005 World Series has since been found that shows Prevost in the stands as the Sox closed out the game for a win.
The Prevost family lived in south suburban Dolton and attended church on the Far Southeast Side. John Prevost, the pope’s brother, was principal at St. Gabriel School in Canaryville, which is firmly in White Sox territory.
The Sox were quick to congratulate Prevost upon his election to the papacy.
“Family always knows best, and it sounds like Pope Leo XIV’s lifelong fandom falls a little closer to 35th and Shields,” the spokesperson said. “Some things are bigger than baseball, but in this case, we’re glad to have a White Sox fan represented at the Vatican. A pinstripes White Sox jersey with his name on it and a hat are already on the way to Rome, and of course, the Pontiff always is welcome at his ballpark.”
