Largest Peruvian community outside Peru – in US city – elated for Pope Leo XIV

The joy of the largest community of Peruvian faithful outside of Peru, found in Paterson, New Jersey, is impossible to contain for US-born and Peruvian missionary Pope Leo XIV, according to Msgr. Geno Sylva, Rector of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

The largest community of Peruvian faithful outside of Peru is found in Paterson, New Jersey, and they are beyond ecstatic for Pope Leo XIV’s election. The community’s inner-city children will benefit from an artificial field on the local church’s property to play on, which will be named after the new Pope.

This was shared with Vatican News by Msgr. Geno Sylva, the rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson and vicar for special projects of the Paterson Diocese, who is also an appointee to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization.

“Our Peruvian community here in Paterson was so excited when they heard that Pope Leo was elected. A gentleman, Guillermo, who runs our Peruvian Day Parade calls me up and says, ‘I’m going to get flowers.’ So he brought these beautiful flowers in the colors of Peru, and we had a big picture of Pope Leo up on a foam board in order to be close to the altar.”

Largest community of Peruvian faithful outside of Peru are found in Paterson, New Jersey.   (©Joe Gigli and Yoel Gonzalez, Diocese of Paterson)

“There was a long line of people wanting to get pictures with Leo, if you will, there after the Mass and in front of the flowers. They were so proud to get their photo in front of their own picture of Pope Leo with the Peruvian, Vatican, and American flags in the cathedral.”

Largest Peruvian diaspora in Paterson, New Jersey

Msgr. Sylva says Paterson has the largest Peruvian diaspora in all the world, noting, “the cathedral is located right next to what we call ‘Little Lima,’ ‘Little Peru’.”

When Pope Leo’s election was announced, he said, the community was “so excited and just went crazy.”

“People were coming to the cathedral, and the Masses were so full that we decided, Bishop Kevin Sweeney of Paterson and I, to have celebration Masses, particularly for Pope Leo, but also to kind of support, encourage, and celebrate with the Peruvian community.”

‘Little Peru’ in Paterson, New Jersey

Paterson officers cheering 

“That period after Pope Francis died, we felt like we were sheep without a shepherd, and so once we were given the new shepherd of Pope Leo, even the way he came out onto the balcony and the silent joy that he had—it was just palpable. It was humble. It was holy. It was inspiring.”

Msgr. Sylva was with a whole group of Patterson Police officers and Passaic County Sheriff’s officers during the election, noting, “They were all crammed into my office.”

After Pope Leo stopped speaking in Italian and spoke in Spanish on the loggia of St. Peter’s, he said, the officers “were all cheering.”

“It’s kind of like with the election of Pope Leo,” he reflected, “the Church is here now. It’s relevant. It’s vibrant. People are discussing it.”

The future Pope Leo XIV Field

‘We’re going to name it after Pope Leo’

Msgr. Sylva pointed out the cathedral’s courtyard boasts the only grass space in downtown Patterson.

“Every day, I have children playing in mud and rocks and everything,” he said. “So I decided to raise money, tear it up, and put in special artificial turf so that children could play on it safely every day, without the mud, rocks, and cuts.”

Forgiven for being a White Sox fan

“The other day somebody said, ‘Well, we can’t let, Pope Leo on this field. He’s a Chicago White Sox fan,’ and they are Yankees fans.” Yet, Msgr Sylva says, they have ‘forgiven’ him for being a fan elsewhere.

“We’re going to name the field after Pope Leo,” Msgr. Sylva said. “Bishop Kevin and I were walking out as the field was getting put in, and Bishop Kevin looks at me and says, ‘we have to name this first inner city field for the children to play on for Pope Leo XIV.”

Mass of Thanksgiving for Pope Leo]   (©Joe Gigli and Yoel Gonzalez, Diocese of Paterson)

‘People proud of being Catholic’

Msgr. Sylva stressed how great “a privilege” it is to serve in a community that is Peruvian and American, “where now there’s just so much connection to the papacy.”

“I would say people are proud of being Catholic with the election of Pope Leo. And I know, and you know, pride is complicated, but, I mean, there is this sense of ownership, and I’m so honored to be a part of this mystical body that’s the Church.”

Personally, Msgr. Sylva said, “listening to what Pope Leo has said thus far, I am just inspired in all ways.”

‘Little Peru’ in Paterson, New Jersey