The Woman Behind the Pope: How Mildred Prevost Raised a Son for the Ages
Pope Leo’s mother is brilliant, brave, and beloved — and she’s the reason we have the first American pope.
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Over the next few weeks and months, I’ll be sharing a series of deeply reported essays that, together, offer the most complete portrait yet of Pope Leo — not just his own life and formation, but also the circle of people he trusts most as he begins his pontificate.
Why? Because if Leo XIV is to be the world’s most credible moral leader in this defining moment for America and the globe, then we need to know the men and women he relies on to carry out his vision.
Today’s essay turns to Pope Leo’s mother — a highly educated woman ahead of her time — who not only helped raise her son into the man who would become Pope Leo XIV, but gave him the voice that would one day move the world.
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Part IV explores Pope Leo’s 20-year friendship with Pope Francis.
Part V profiles his closest cardinal confidant, Luis Antonio Tagle.
Part VI examines how his thirty years in Peru will affect his pontificate.
Part VII is a look at Leo’s top Middle East advisor, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
Part VIII is a deep dive into the most powerful woman in Pope Leo’s cabinet and the Catholic Church.
Part IX looks at the Jesuit cardinal behind Pope Leo’s social justice agenda.
Part X contains the story of Pope Leo’s relationship with his polar opposite brothers.
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On Sunday, May 11, I was standing in St. Peter’s Square last May, eagerly awaiting Pope Leo XIV’s first Regina Caeli — the traditional Marian prayer recited by popes on Sunday during the Easter season.
When he appeared on the loggia, instead of simply reciting it, the brand new pope shocked and delighted the crowd by breaking into song, intoning the ancient Marian hymn in a rich, confident voice.
The faithful below gasped, then burst into applause at this unexpected musical blessing. In that moment, the pope’s voice soared over the square — and we soon learned where that gift of song came from.
It was an inheritance from his mother, Mildred Prevost, whose own life was steeped in music and faith.
Mildred Prevost: The Marian Soul Behind the Pope
Mildred Agnes Martínez Prevost may not be a household name, but to those who knew her in Chicago, she was nothing short of a legend.
Born in 1911 to a devout Louisiana Creole Catholic family, Mildred blazed her own trail with ambition, talent, and deep faith.
In an era when few women pursued higher education in mid-life, she earned a degree in library science from DePaul University in 1947 (at age 34) and a master’s in education two years later.
Yet Mildred was as much an artist as an academic.
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