13 things about Chicago, Illinois native Mildred Prevost

Mildred Agnes Martinez Prevost is the mother of Catholic Church head Robert Francis Prevost whose papal name is Pope Leo XIV. She worked as a librarian at Mendel Catholic High School in Chicago, Illinois, United States.

BIOGRAPHY

Born in Chicago, Mildred is of Haitian, African, French and Spanish descent. She is one of the six daughters of Joseph Navvale Martinez and Louise Baquié Martinez.

Joseph was born in Port-au-Prince, Ouest, Haiti. Louise was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Mildred and Louis Marius Prevost have three sons together. Here are 13 more things about her:

1. Her sister Ethel Martinez turned 3 on June 28, 1911 and died in Chicago on November 26, 1911.
2. Her father turned 62 on January 8, 1926 and died in Chicago on July 31, 1926.
3. Her sister Mary Amarita Martinez, who was a nun, turned 38 on November 26, 1944 and died in Dubuque, Iowa, USA on April 21, 1945.
4. Her mother turned 77 on February 9, 1945 and died in Chicago on November 17, 1945.
5. In 1949, she married Louis.
6. On July 9, 1951, she gave birth to Louis Martin Prevost.
7. On March 22, 1954, she gave birth to John Joseph Prevost in Chicago.
8. On September 14, 1955, she gave birth to Robert in Chicago.
9. Her sister Irma Andrea Martinez Meyers turned 80 on November 30, 1975 and died in Cook County, Illinois on October 12, 1976.
10. Her sister Margeurite Martinez Shinnick turned 82 on May 24, 1981 and died in Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky, USA on March 30, 1981.
11. Her sister Lydia Lillian Martinez Plum turned 87 on July 29, 1987 and died in Chicago on November 10, 1987.
12. On December 30, 1989, she turned 78.
13. On June 18, 1990, she died in Chicago Heights, Illinois.

Mildred’s sister Louise Eugenie Martinez died in 1999 at age 95. Louise Eugenie was a nun also known as Mary Sulpice Martinez.

On November 8, 1997, Mildred’s husband Louis Marius died. On May 8, 2025, their son Robert was elected pope during the papal conclave that involved 133 cardinals at the Sistine Chapel of the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City.