Mildred Agnes Martinez Prevost — devout Catholic, university graduate, and mother of three — taught her youngest son, Robert, the faith that would one day guide him to the Chair of Saint Peter.
Those who knew her said Mildred was “practically a saint.” But she was also unmistakably a woman of the world: elegant, educated, and ambitious.
She graduated from DePaul University in 1947, pursued graduate studies, and in 1952, hosted a landmark gathering — “The Catholic Woman in the Professional World” — years before such titles became commonplace.
In her late 30s and early 40s, she gave birth to three boys in quick succession. Like her son, she was a gifted singer — her favorite hymn was Ave Maria. And unlike her son, she was an unshakable Cubs fan.
On this Mother’s Day, I’m confident she’s looking down from heaven with a smile on her face and a tear in her eye as she watches her youngest child become the spiritual father of over a billion souls.
A saintly woman who raised a pope. Mildred Prevost reminds us: behind every great man, there is often a woman whose strength shaped his path.
You can read her full story here from the New York Times:
nytimes.com/2025/05/11/us/mi…