The election of Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, as the new pontiff has delighted Catholics and officials alike.

Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost – now known as Pope Leo XIV — is the first pope from the United States. The 69-year-old from Chicago is known as a leader with global experience. He spent much of his career as a missionary in South America and most recently led a powerful Vatican office for bishop appointments.

While Robert Francis Prevost didn’t attend St. Rita of Cascia High School in Ashburn, his connection to the school runs deep. In the 1980s, he was a substitute and summer school teacher at the school for math and physics.