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River Forest, IL— Letters from Dominican University students made their way into the hands of Pope Leo XIV this month, delivered personally by Director of University Ministry Andrew Mercado during a once-in-a-lifetime visit to the Vatican.

Mercado, who focuses on culturally responsive ministry and creating supportive and inclusive spaces for Dominican students to engage in vocational discernment, was among a contingent invited to Rome by the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry. The group of 100 participants from around the United States took part in the Jubilee of Migrants, an event dedicated to celebrating and supporting migrants across the world. 

The seven-day visit culminated on Oct. 7 with a private audience with Chicago-born Pope Leo. Here, Mercado presented the leader of the Roman Catholic Church with typed testimonials from about 15 students, each sharing their personal experiences and concerns amid current immigration policies. A letter communicating Dominican University’s long history of serving and supporting immigrants and the children of immigrants—and the ongoing work taking place today—accompanied the students’ accounts.

Mercado described the Holy Father as approachable and attentive to each of the pilgrims who met briefly with him.

“When it was my turn, I said to Pope Leo, ‘I’m here on behalf of Dominican University, representing our undocumented community,’” Mercado said. “I thanked him for his consistent advocacy for migrants, and I asked him to pray for us at Dominican to continue to fulfill the mission that began with the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters of serving students from immigrant backgrounds.

“For me, it was a moment of great joy to hand off those letters, those testimonies to the pope, to share the realities we are seeing at Dominican and what students are experiencing in their neighborhoods,” Mercado continued.

A student who contributed a letter said he would like his personal account to encourage Pope Leo—and others within the church—to bring more attention to the frightening and discouraging reality undocumented migrants in the United States are facing each day.

“I’m hoping it helps him understand the situation a lot better,” the student said. “Our situation is hard to understand if you’re not living it. I hope it gives him that perspective.”

During their audience with Pope Leo, the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry contingent heard the pontiff address them in Spanish as he shared a message about the importance of Latine involvement in the Catholic Church in the United States, the ways the church can accompany migrants, and how the faithful can be a source of hope and healing in the world, Mercado said.

“My hope as a Catholic and as someone working with college students at a Catholic university is that Pope Leo continues to be very explicit about our duty to promote human dignity among the most marginalized and, in a similar context, our undocumented community,” Mercado said. “As a church, we pray for justice, we pray for equity, we pray for immigration reform, but how do we address the structural reality that is causing so much pain and suffering in our communities? How do we pray for a reform that is just, that is humane? How do we help human beings thrive?”

Going forward in his ministry work, Mercado wants students to see themselves as protagonists for change in their communities, on campus and in society, tapping into Dominican’s rich tradition of advocating for social justice.

“Our students have so much to give to this world and are a source of much hope,” he said. “With their Dominican education and the gifts they have, they are able to transform their communities and, by extension, the world.”

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Founded in 1901, Dominican University is a comprehensive, coeducational Catholic institution with campuses in River Forest and Chicago. The university offers an associate of arts in liberal arts and sciences; bachelor’s and master’s degrees through the Rosary College of Arts, Education, and Sciences, the College of Business, Information Studies, and Technology, and the Borra College of Health Sciences; as well as doctoral programs in information studies and applied social justice.

As Chicago's premier Catholic Hispanic-Serving Institution, Dominican is consistently recognized as a leader in academic excellence and value. U.S. News & World Report ranks Dominican University in the top 25 of Midwest regional master’s level universities, and #1 in Illinois for Best Value and ensuring the social mobility of its graduates.