ORLANDO, Fla. – Catholics across the world attended their first Sunday Mass since Pope Leo XIV was elected to serve as the new head of the Catholic Church.

St. James Catholic Cathedral in Orlando was full on Sunday morning with families there to celebrate Mother’s Day and mark the beginning of a new papacy with Pope Leo at the helm.

“It’s a very special day because there’s so much to celebrate,” said St. James Catholic Cathedral Rector, Miguel Gonzalez. “Celebrate life, celebrate the gift of mothers. Celebrate the gift of a new Holy Father, a new pope, and celebrate also the fact that this Sunday is called ‘Good Shepherd Sunday.’”

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Gonzalez said there is excitement among his congregation because Pope Leo is the first American-born Pope.

“There is great excitement, absolutely, because we were all surprised, happily surprised,” Gonzalez said. “And the fact that he is American, there’s a sense of joy and pride because he’s one of our own. He’s part of our of our home, a part of this country, part of this nation, which also, in turn, will be a source of blessing for our the American church here.”

But beyond pride and joy, Gonzalez is also excited about how the new pontiff could impact the Catholic Church in the United States.

“One of the things that I’m optimistic about — being a former vocation director — here in this diocese is the fact that this could be an opportunity to strengthen our vocation awareness culture in our church in the United States,” Gonzalez said.

Pope Leo also held his first Sunday Mass in the Vatican City calling for peace in Gaza and Ukraine and wishing all mothers a happy Mother’s Day.

Gonzalez said he thinks Pope Leo will have a similar message as his predecessor, Pope Francis, who died April 21 at 88 years old.

“I believe that the message will be consistent with what Pope Francis was able to do in his 13 years as a pope, and that is to continue to bring joy to the world,” Gonzalez said. “And the joy centers on one person, that’s Jesus Christ.”

Gonzalez said he spent time praying and practicing for Sunday’s Mass.

He said it’s now the Church’s turn to take on the responsibility of praying for the new pope.

“The Cardinals had their responsibility in the Sistine Chapel when they elected a pope, but that does not exclude us from our role as members of the Church,” Gonzalez said. “And that is to invoke the Holy Spirit to continue to bless the new pope, to guide him, to strengthen him in his efforts of spreading the gospel and grant him good health and many, many years of shepherding our Church.”