Pope Leo XIV once worked on grounds of Delaware County cemetery
HAVERTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- We're learning more about Pope Leo the 14th's ties to the Philadelphia region.
He attended Villanova University, where he graduated with a degree in math, but he also worked on the grounds of a cemetery in Delaware County.
Father Kevin Gallagher, a pastor at St. Denis Parish in Havertown, said when he heard the name of the new pope, he was elated for several reasons.
"I met him last year... I was at the table with him for dinner, and I told him I was the pastor of St. Denis, and he pointed to me and he said, 'I worked there,'" recalled Gallagher.
Gallagher said the leader of the Catholic Church once worked at St. Denis, maintaining the grounds, while he was a student at Villanova.
"It feels special to the people here at St. Denis to know that he was somebody that had to get a summer job," said Gallagher.
MORE | Pope Leo XIV: How his views compare to those of Pope Francis
Another local tie is over at Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School. Flipping through the pages of a 2004 yearbook is a picture of the now-pope.
"It's just really awesome to know that the pope was actually in our building in the space right behind me, so that's very, very exciting to know that," said Dr. John Cooke, president and interim principal of Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School.
Pope Leo XIV came for Mass at the time.
This week, years later, students gathered in the auditorium to watch him start his new role.
"It's kind of overwhelming and exciting," said Cooke.
