He was very attracted to study and was tempted to stay in Rome to lead an academic life, but the missionary spirit that would drag him to Peru won him over. After his ordination he was assigned to work in the mission of Chulucanas and served in the cities of Piura, Trujillo and Chiclayo from 1985 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1998, as parochial vicar, diocesan official, seminary professor and parochial administrator. Subsequently, he was elected Prior General of the Augustinians, a position he held from 2001 to 2013.
Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of Chiclayo in 2014; in 2015 he acquired the nationality of that country and was appointed residential bishop of Chiclayo. He served as bishop from 2015 to 2023.
He asked to stay in Peru when Pope Francis wanted to take him to Rome. He thought it was not the right time to leave, he felt committed to Peru, but God had other plans... Robert Prevost was appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and also president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, serving until April 2025.
It is not easy to become part of a country being from another. To love the place where you live, to fight to love it. Not to compare. To look for the good and to avoid as much as possible what does not seem good to you... All the Peruvians who knew him saw in him an Augustinian who sought the Love of God and neighbor through fraternal charity. He lived very well the "Do unto all in order to gain all".
He was an American but was never felt to be a stranger. He was an Augustinian, but brought no Augustinian with him. He was a receptive man who transmitted tranquility and confidence. He won the affection of everyone. He was well liked, one could say that he became Peruvian.
He was always just another Peruvian. He never talked about the USA. He had adapted very well to the land, in culture, food and even wanted to learn the expressions and way of speaking of Chiclayo, because he went there to serve. There was only one day when he remembered his homeland: Thanksgiving Day, when he carved the turkey the way his father did.
Leo XIV in his first audience addressed in Spanish his former diocese of ChiclayoHe showed his closeness to the Latin American community. He carried Peru in his heart, where he lived for almost forty years and was recognized for his closeness to the people: "My dear diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru, where a faithful people have accompanied their bishop, have shared their faith and have given so much...".
