On Thursday, Robert Francis Prevost was elected the first American pope: Pope Leo XIV.
He comes from Chicago and is the son of Louis and Mildred Prevost. Growing up, the family attended St. Mary of the Assumption parish on 137th Street. Per the Chicago Sun-Times, the Prevost family “were known at bustling St. Mary’s as dedicated and devout musicians, altar boys, lectors and volunteers.”
Here’s what to know about Pope Leo XIV’s family.
His mother, Mildred Martínez
The new pope’s mother was of Spanish decent and worked as a librarian. She graduated from DePaul University with a bachelor’s degree in library science in 1947. Two of her sisters were nuns. At St. Mary’s, she was in the Altar and Rosary Society and sang in the choir
“She was one of the ladies that we called church ladies,” a classmate of Pope Leo XIV’s, Marianne Angarola, told the Chicago Sun-Times. “They went to Mass on a daily basis. They cleaned the altars, the church, the sacristy. She was involved in everything, including the fundraising activities.”
Mildred died in 1990.
His father, Louis Marius Prevost
Louis had French and Italian roots and served in the Navy in World War II. After, he worked as an educator.
Per the Chicago Sun-Times, “Louis Prevost was the superintendent of the south suburban schools in District 169. News clippings from 1945 show he served as a Navy lieutenant in the Mediterranean in WWII. He had graduated from the old Central Y.M.C.A. College in 1943 while living in Hyde Park. Later, [Louis] would head Glenwood School District 167 and be the principal of Mount Carmel Elementary School in Chicago Heights, which was closed in 1990.”
According to the Pillar, Louis “served as a catechist.”
Louis died in 1997.
His older brothers, Louis Martín and John Joseph
Pope Leo XIV has two older brothers: John Prevost and Robert Prevost.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
