On the warm, clear morning of Sept. 18, hammers pinged on nail heads and saws whined as more than a dozen volunteers made “building community” literal at a Habitat for Humanity site on 115th Street in West Pullman.
They were there to work on homes that will be part of the first Pope Leo Village, a multi-city effort funded by an anonymous donor that aims to connect Pope Leo XIV’s commitment to community and service with Habitat for Humanity’s focus on creating community through the construction of affordable housing.
“Augustinians are all about building community,” said Augustinian Father William Lego, who blessed the volunteers and staff before they started work. “And what you are building is a community where people can share their lives on all levels.”
Lego, pastor of St. Turibius Parish, 5646 S. Karlov Ave., and a classmate of Pope Leo, said the Habitat for Humanity site in West Pullman was especially appropriate for the first Pope Leo Village because it is not far from the former Mendel Catholic High School, where the pope’s mother worked as a librarian, or from south suburban Dolton, where the pope grew up.
The pope is aware of the building project and is supportive of it, Lego said.
The construction site will eventually be home to 20 townhouses, with four units in each of five buildings. One building is scheduled to be completed each year for the next five years. The homes will be sold to buyers who need affordable housing and meet Habitat for Humanity’s eligibility guidelines.
Each unit will be two stories, and the first floor will be accessible for people with disabilities. Units will have three bedrooms, including one on the first floor, and two bathrooms.
Jen Parks, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Chicago, said that Pope Leo’s focus on community dovetails with the organization’s mission to build and invest in neighborhoods. In an effort to develop neighborhood stability, Habitat for Humanity Chicago is focusing on three Chicago neighborhoods: West Pullman, Greater Grand Crossing and Austin.
In West Pullman, Habitat for Humanity Chicago has built nearly 50 homes and awarded more than $230,000 in small neighborhood grants.
When the townhouse development is complete, neighbors — including those who own the townhouses and those in surrounding residential blocks of bungalows — will get a say in its permanent name, said Deena Prescavage, director of advancement for Habitat for Humanity Chicago.
Prescavage, a Pennsylvania native and graduate of Villanova University, came to Chicago a decade ago as part of the Augustinian Volunteers program, and met Lego then. Her volunteer assignment was with Habitat for Humanity, and she stayed with the non-profit as a staff member when her volunteer assignment concluded.
Organizers are hoping that the Pope Leo Village effort will attract Catholic donors and volunteers, especially among young people.
“We are in an incredible moment to have the first U.S.-born pope be from Chicago. In his first homily, Pope Leo XIV talked about this being the ‘hour of love,’” Parks said. “This is what Pope Leo Village is all about. Chicago has an affordable housing crisis, and it is in coming together to build houses that we put love into action and serve others.”
Longtime volunteer Dan Stolze didn’t wait for Pope Leo’s election to start building with Habitat for Humanity. He’s been doing it for years.
Stolze, who wore a Knights of Columbus T-shirt instead of the Pope Leo Village volunteer shirt that was provided, said that since he retired, he has spent his time volunteering with various groups, and Habitat for Humanity is one of his favorites.
“I’m all about gratitude and giving back,” said Stolze, a parishioner at Immaculate Conception St. Joseph Parish. “I want to see more knights out here. It seems like a natural fit.”