Episode Details

Patrick gave you a glimpse into the childhood and early years of our brand-new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV (Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost), with the kind of reverent curiosity you'd expect when an altar boy from the South Side becomes the Vicar of Christ. 

You can listen to his entire hour of commentary about Pope Leo XIV here. 

Hour 2 is available to listen here. Hour 3 is here. 

Humble Beginnings in the Windy City

Born on September 14, 1955, in Dolton, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), little Robert Prevost was raised in a faithful Catholic home. His dad, Louis Marius Prevost, was of French-Italian descent and served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. His mom, Mildred Martínez, was a Spanish-Creole librarian with deep Louisiana roots. 

He grew up going to St. Mary of the Assumption parish, where he served as an altar boy. So yes, he literally started out on the altar... just not quite at the Vatican level yet. He has two brothers, Louis Martin and John Joseph.

A Brainy & Prayerful Path

Young Robert was no slouch in school either; he studied math at Villanova, graduating in 1977.

God had bigger plans. He entered the Order of St. Augustine in 1978, professed vows in 1981, and was ordained a priest in 1982. He studied theology in Chicago and canon law in Rome, eventually earning his doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum).

From Peru to the Pontificate

This wasn’t a man who just sat around in chancery offices. He served as a missionary priest in Peru, taught at seminaries, worked in diocesan offices, and even led the global Augustinian order as Prior General, twice. 

Eventually, he was appointed a bishop in Peru, receiv