You may know that Pope Leo XIV is the first American pope, but did you know that he created the first website for his order? That he repaired used trucks and sold them to raise money for his diocese? Celebrate Pope Leo’s 100th day as pontiff with these 10 fun facts from the X account L’Osservatore Bobberto.
Top of his class … and class prankster?
Robert Prevost, nicknamed “Father Robert” for his piety, was the top of his class at St. Mary of the Assumption parochial school in Riverdale, Illinois. However, he was also a bit of a class clown, poking his seatmate Joe Merigold with his pencil when Merigold was being silly during school.
https://x.com/oss_bobberto/status/1955938704792674612
Faith in the family
Prevost and his two brothers were all altar boys, and their parents founded their local parish’s library. His mother was very active in the parish and cleaned the pews and sacristy after Mass.
https://x.com/oss_bobberto/status/1955938709398020505
Renaissance man
Prevost was well-rounded and was involved in every activity at the Augustinian junior seminary he attended in Michigan: tennis, bowling, debate, student government, library club, patriotism club, readers' theatre, and the yearbook. He also tutored his classmates and brought apples to the nearby cloistered nuns.
https://x.com/oss_bobberto/status/1955938715865637194
Pro-life club founder
When attending Villanova University, Prevost was a founding member of Villanovans for Life, working to fight against abortion and the death penalty.
https://x.com/oss_bobberto/status/1955938718235419087
Navigated political revolution in Peru
When then-Father Prevost visited Peru for the first time in 1985, he had to navigate the intense political strife between the country’s Shining Path guerilla fighters and President Alberto Fujimori’s authoritarian government. According to the X page, “He protected seminarians from the guerillas, and marched in protests against Fujimori.”
https://x.com/oss_bobberto/status/1955938724921131419
Website creator
Father Prevost created the first website for the Midwest Augustinian order.
https://x.com/oss_bobberto/status/1955938730436591967
Visiting the Philippines
Pope Leo XIV served as prior general of the Augustinians and in that time he made the Philippines his home base in the Asian continent. He has visited the country at least nine times.
https://x.com/oss_bobberto/status/1955938733020340276
Self-made car repairman
When serving as a missionary in Chiclayo, Peru, Fr. Prevost used to buy and fix old cars and re-sell them, raising money for his diocese. This was one of his many fundraising efforts for the region of Chiclayo, as he, the page notes, “definitely did a lot more than the actual government, and completely transformed the region as a result.”
https://x.com/oss_bobberto/status/1955938740897243546
Week-long birthday celebrations
Reportedly, celebrating his birthday would last a week, as each parish in the diocese of Chiclayo would bake him a cake.
https://x.com/oss_bobberto/status/1955938750326038913
First worldwide bishop training
As head of the Dicastery for Bishops, then-Cardinal Prevost ushered in reforms leading to the first joint bishop training in 2024, involving bishops from around the world.