Pope Leo XIV Completes 43 Years of His Priesthood Today

VATICAN CITY, June 19, 2025: Today marks 43 years since Pope Leo XIV was ordained a priest. He received his ordination on June 19, 1982, at the Chapel of Saint Monica, located just steps away from St. Peter’s Basilica.

Born Robert Francis Prevost, the current Pope was 27 years old at the time of his ordination. He had entered the Order of Saint Augustine five years earlier and professed his solemn vows in 1981. After completing his studies in Canon Law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, he was ordained by Archbishop Jadot, then Pro-President of the Secretariat for Non-Christians.

A commemorative holy card from his ordination featured a 15th-century Russian icon of the Last Supper and a quote inspired by Saint Augustine: “I feed you from the same table which nourishes me. I am your servant.”

These words reflected Father Prevost’s early dedication to selfless ministry—an ethos that continues to shape his papacy.

In 1985, just three years after his ordination, Father Prevost was sent as a missionary to Chulucanas in the Piura region of Peru. There, he carried out pastoral work in one of the most remote areas of the country, living out Saint Augustine’s call to serve those whom Christ served.

This same spirit echoed in Pope Leo XIV’s homily during the priestly ordinations held at St. Peter’s Basilica on May 31, 2025, when he ordained eleven new priests for the Diocese of Rome.

Addressing the ordinands, he urged them to imitate Christ in their ministry. He emphasised that priesthood means being rooted in the real world, meeting real people, and serving them with the love of Christ. “We are God’s,” he declared. “There is no greater wealth… It is the only wealth that, when shared, is multiplied.”

The Chapel of Saint Monica, where Father Prevost was ordained in 1982, was assigned to him as his cardinal deaconry by Pope Francis upon his appointment as Cardinal on 30 September 2023.

Courtesy: Vatican News