Dolton, the Chicago suburb where Pope Leo XIV grew up, celebrated the pontiff’s 70th birthday Sunday with gospel music, prayers and a silver-balloon release outside his modest boyhood home.
A small crowd gathered outside the three-bedroom brick house in the south suburban village to sing and pray for the health and leadership of the first American pope, born Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955. Village officials purchased the property in July with hopes it will boost tourism and preserve a piece of papal history.
“It’s a good time for the community to come together,” Village President Jason House said, adding that the event was meant to send a positive message about Dolton. “It shows that great people come out of the village of Dolton.” House said village officials had tried to contact the pope but did not hear back.
Attendees prayed for Leo’s well-being and sang an a cappella rendition of the gospel song “Break Every Chain,” followed by a performance of Stevie Wonder’s rendition of “Happy Birthday.” Silver star-shaped balloons were released into the sky outside the house, where photographs of the pope as a child and as the pontiff were displayed.
When he was elected in May at age 69, Leo became the youngest pope since 1978, when Karol Wojtyla was chosen as Pope John Paul II at 58. He holds dual U.S. and Peruvian citizenship after spending two decades doing missionary work in Peru.
The family lived in the Dolton house until the mid-1990s. Village officials said the purchase and celebration are part of efforts to highlight local history and attract visitors to Dolton, a community of roughly 20,000 that has undergone major demographic changes over several decades. Once a predominantly white town of a few thousand, Dolton is now majority Black.
The festivities came as village leaders try to steer public attention toward community assets after a period of political turbulence that included misspending allegations involving a previous mayor. Organizers said the birthday event was intended to be inclusive.
“We hope people feel welcome,” House said.
At the Vatican on Sunday, Leo received birthday greetings during his traditional noon blessing, where banners reading “Happy birthday” in English, Italian and Spanish were displayed and balloons were held up by those gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Village officials and residents said they viewed the celebration as both an expression of local pride and a way to link Dolton to a historic moment in the Catholic Church. The modest gathering reflected the village’s effort to claim and preserve the pope’s early-life connection to the community while avoiding controversy, officials said.
No representatives of the Vatican attended the Dolton event, and village officials said they had not received a response to their outreach before the celebration. The house will remain under village ownership as officials consider how to use it to promote local history and tourism.