Louis and Millie Prevost: Educators Who Raised a Pope

How a Catholic couple—he a WWII veteran and superintendent, she a school librarian—nurtured the values that shaped Pope Leo XIV

Before he became Pope Leo XIV, Robert Prevost was just another Midwestern kid growing up in a modest brick bungalow in Dolton, Illinois—a working-class suburb south of Chicago. In that small home on 141st Street, just half a mile from their parish, St. Mary of the Assumption, Louis and Mildred (“Millie”) Prevost raised three sons.

Little did this public school superintendent and Catholic school librarian know that their middle child would one day become the first pope from the United States.

Here’s what we know about the man and woman who raised the 267th successor to St. Peter:

Louis M. Prevost was just 23 when he landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day, a full lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, ferrying troops and tanks under fire. In an article published by the Park Forest Star on May 26, 1985, honoring his life and career ahead of his retirement, Louis reflected on what it was like to be a Catholic on D-Day, not knowing if he would live or die and receiving a “general absolution” given to all Catholics before the mission.

“There was no time for individual confessions. An hour or so later, the soldiers landed on the beach.”

Louis did survive, and after the war, he continued his work in education, which he began during his time in the service helping fellow sailors complete their high school diplomas. He subsequently earned a Master of Arts in Education, taught 8th grade, and became a principal. He eventually served as superintendent of two school districts in Chicago’s southern suburbs, advocating for education reform during one of the most turbulent eras in American public schooling.

In 1963, during the early years of the Civil Rights Movement, Louis invited a Black YMCA executive to speak at an 8th-grade graduation. He fought for teacher pay, issued emergency funding proposals to keep schools operating, and modeled leadership as service.

When Louis was asked what gift he wanted for retirement, this is what he said:

“If you want to do anything, set up a Louis M. Prevost scholarship fund to help defray tuition costs, based on scholarship and outstanding character. I’d rather see it go that way than for them to give me a gold watch or something like that.”

Mildred “Millie” Prevost was also an educator: specifically, a librarian at two Catholic high schools over the course of her career. She earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in education at a time when it was not as common for women to hold advanced degrees.

While Louis was the pragmatic educator in the family, focused on policy and leadership, Millie brought creative energy into Prevost home through her passion for music and theater. She was a longtime member and occasional co-chair of the St. Mary’s Players, the parish’s theatrical troupe, where she helped organize and perform in local musicals and themed festivals. She took the stage in productions like The Music Man, Fiddler on the Roof, and The Wearin’ of the Green, and co-led rooms in the parish’s “Holidaze” festival, singing in musical numbers such as “The Trolley Song” and “Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway”.

Millie also served in leadership roles at the parish, including president of the St. Mary’s Altar and Rosary Society, financial secretary of the St. Mary’s Women’s Club, choir soloist, and co-chair of the parish troupe’s theatrical productions.

Millie modeled for her three sons the (at the time) revolutionary idea that women can be more than wife and mother; they can be leaders who pursue their passions, and their communities are better when they do.

Together, Louis and Millie Prevost built a home where intellect, creativity, and faith were values that complemented one another. Their sons grew up watching their parents model leadership through service and dedication to the pursuit of knowledge and artistic expression, qualities proven to build empathy.

Through their shared vocation as educators and their commitment to Catholic life, they laid a foundation of justice, humility, and purpose—values that would one day guide their son to shepherd the global Church.

Sources:

“Did You Hear the Latest Rumor?” Dolton Pointer, November 22, 1973, p. 11. Accessed via NewspaperArchive: https://newspaperarchive.com/dolton-pointer-nov-22-1973-p-11

“Graduation Is Tonight at Cottage Grove.” Chicago Heights Star, May 31, 1956, p. 1. Accessed via NewspaperArchive: https://newspaperarchive.com/chicago-heights-star-may-31-1956-p-1

“Jack-of-All-Trades Educator ‘Will Be Missed’.” Park Forest Star, May 26, 1985, p. 99. Accessed via NewspaperArchive: https://newspaperarchive.com/park-forest-star-may-26-1985-p-99

“Mildred M. Prevost Obituary.” Calumet City Star, June 24, 1990, p. 4. Accessed via NewspaperArchive: https://newspaperarchive.com/calumet-city-star-jun-24-1990-p-4

“Parents Club to Meet.” Harvey Star Tribune, September 17, 1972, p. 8. Accessed via NewspaperArchive: https://newspaperarchive.com/harvey-star-tribune-sep-17-1972-p-8

“Predicts November Need for Tax Warrant Sale.” Park Forest Star, October 22, 1972, p. 107. Accessed via NewspaperArchive: https://newspaperarchive.com/park-forest-star-oct-22-1972-p-107

“St. Mary Holidaze to Feature Ten Showrooms.” South Holland Star Tribune, April 22, 1976, p. 3. Accessed via NewspaperArchive: https://newspaperarchive.com/south-holland-star-tribune-apr-22-1976-p-3

“St. Mary’s Club Makes Fall Plans.” Dolton Pointer, September 27, 1973, p. 5. Accessed via NewspaperArchive: https://newspaperarchive.com/dolton-pointer-sep-27-1973-p-5

“St. Mary’s Players Have New Hit.” South Holland Star Tribune, April 28, 1977, p. 6. Accessed via NewspaperArchive: https://newspaperarchive.com/south-holland-star-tribune-apr-28-1977-p-6

“The Wearin’ of the Green.” Dolton Pointer, March 16, 1961, p. 1. Accessed via NewspaperArchive: https://newspaperarchive.com/dolton-pointer-mar-16-1961-p-1

“Year Computer Program Explained to School Board.” Park Forest Star, May 26, 1974, p. 103. Accessed via NewspaperArchive: https://newspaperarchive.com/park-forest-star-may-26-1974-p-103