Whatever challenges, problems and woes south suburbanites were wrestling with prior to May 8, we all had reason to be distracted from them temporarily by the momentous news that the newest pope had Southland roots.

Pope Leo XIV, formerly known as Cardinal Robert Prevost, lived in Dolton as a child. His journey as a priest took him far afield, spending much of his career serving in Peru, but he returned home as recently as last fall, when he enjoyed a pizza with friends at Aurelio’s in Homewood.

Joe Aurelio, in a TV interview, revealed that the pope had a pepperoni pizza. The company promptly trademarked Pope-a-Roni Pizza after the news broke that Prevost had been selected as pope. See .

A number of area residents were friends and acquaintances with the future pope when he was growing up, including Flossmoor resident Mickey Callahan. She posted a memory on Facebook (quoted with permission).

“In the 60s, my Dad and Mr. Prevost (the pope’s father, Louis) became close friends through their work on the Brookwood school board. The Prevosts had a summer cabin in Michigan on the lake. They called it Boo Hoot and invited us to stay with them a few times. There were lots of Callahans and the 3 Prevost kids. It was a rambunctious time, the beach down about a million steps from the cabin on the hill, great food, games at night, and Sunday mass at the summer church.

“I’m still absorbing that the kid I made sand angels and swam all day with is now Pope Leo.”
Two of the pope’s family members lived in Homewood at various times. His brother, John Prevost, owned a home on Birch Road for several years. His father was living on Highland Avenue in Homewood when he died in 1997.

The Prevost family’s Dolton home is now the subject of considerable interest. It’s being offered for sale by auction, but the according to Chicago Tribune reports, the village is intent on obtaining it, possibly by eminent domain. If it does, the home could be turned into a museum. For Dolton, just past four years of controversial, allegedly corrupt leadership, the connection with Pope Leo is seen by some commenters as an opportunity to help redeem the community’s reputation.

Pride Month priorities

June is Pride Month, when much of the nation celebrates the rights, freedoms and contributions of LGBTQ+ people. Homewood, Flossmoor and the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District will for the third year collaborate on a Pride Festival in Irwin Park. The festivities will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 20, and will feature MC Sasha Love, the Bel Canto Community Choir and The Divas.

Homewood’s promotions for the event note its colorful, family-friendly and positive vibe. ” Let’s come together to uplift love, visibility, and unity in the Homewood-Flossmoor community.”

The federal government, however, is providing a counterpoint to our community’s celebration.
President Donald Trump’s executive order 14168, issued the day of his inauguration, attempts to virtually deny that transgender people have a right to exist. It recognizes two sexes, male and female, and orders the word “gender” to be replaced by “sex” in government materials. It ends funding for gender affirming care.

In one of the more bizarre efforts to implement the policy, the Department of Defense flagged for deletion any photos or online posts referring to the Enola Gay, the name of the plane that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, at the end of World War II, apparently because it included the word “gay.” (The plane was named after the pilot’s mother, Enola Gay Tibbetts.) According to the Google AI summary, photos of the historic plane were later restored.

The fact that the Enola Gay was flagged indicates an anitpathy to a vulnerable group so obsessive as to disregard accuracy.

The federal government’s stance makes it more important than ever that we as a community show our support for our friends, family and neighbors who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
They can’t be erased if we’re all standing with them.

Juneteenth

The community’s Juneteenth celebration will be different this year. The huge festival at Homewood-Flossmoor High School was getting too expensive for a small nonprofit organization, You Matter 2, to manage.

The organization has pivoted and will present the annual parade on June 19, which will start at 10 a.m. at Western Avenue School, followed by a block party in the Parker Junior High parking lot until 2 p.m.

The size of the event is much less important than taking the opportunity to celebrate freedom, Black culture, pride and power. In fact, it’s more important this year than ever before (the federal government again).

Diversity, equity and inclusion, core values of our community, also are under aggressive assault by the Trump administration. References to anything that might be connected with DEI are being erased and banned by the government.

Don’t comply with DEI erasure. Celebrate our values.