Vatican City – Pope Leone XIV received a heartwarming surprise on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, as former classmates from his childhood arrived at the Vatican to attend his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square. The unexpected reunion offered a moment of personal connection for the pontiff, who assumed the papacy following the death of Pope Francis, and underscored the enduring bonds of his early life.
Ten of the 82 students who completed their primary studies at Saint Mary’s School in Riverdale, Illinois, in 1969, traveled from the United States to participate in the audience with Pope Leone XIV, who was known as Robert Francis Prevost during his school years. According to Vatican News, the group came “to make him feel our closeness and embrace our former classmate, who today is the 266th Successor of Peter.”
A Trip Down Memory Lane for Pope Leone XIV
Jerome Clemens brought with him a poster featuring a photograph of the young Robert Francis Prevost, estimated to be around 14 years traditional, bearing his autograph. Pope Leone XIV added “Leone XIV” to the signature, a personal touch acknowledging his new identity. John Riggio recalled the strong sense of community at Saint Mary’s, stating, “It was more than a school, it was a family.” The school held a special significance for the Prevost family, as Mildred Agnes Prevost, Robert Francis’s mother, served as the school librarian and was deeply involved in both the school and parish life, according to Sherry Blue, who was visibly moved at the prospect of seeing her former classmate.
Following the audience, the former classmates were able to embrace Pope Leone XIV, capturing a photograph that they plan to frame and display at Saint Mary’s School, a lasting memento of their reunion.
A Moment of Inclusion: Meeting Students with Disabilities
Prior to greeting his former classmates, Pope Leone XIV welcomed ten students with disabilities from the Istituto Superiore Silvio Ceccato in Montecchio Maggiore, Vicenza, Italy. Accompanied by Bishop Giuliano Brugnotto of Vicenza and school principal Antonella Sperotto, the students presented the Pope with the “Presepe dell’Anno Santo” (Nativity Scene of the Holy Year), a collaborative creation of their school.
Principal Sperotto emphasized the importance of the project, highlighting its “great value of inclusion, collaboration, and creativity.” She described the nativity scene as a representation of hope, designed within the colonnade of St. Peter’s Square, using small mosaic tiles crafted by the students. “there is the Holy Door, a sign of great hope for this world on the brink of a third world war,” she added.
Emiliano, a 19-year-old student preparing for his final exams, presented Pope Leone XIV with a portrait created by the students.
From Riverdale to Rome: The Education of Pope Leone XIV
Pope Leone XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost on September 14, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, received his early education at Saint Mary’s School in Riverdale. He continued his studies at the minor seminary of the Augustinian Fathers in 1973. He later attended Villanova University, earning a Bachelor of Science in mathematics in 1977 and a diploma in Philosophy. Notably, Pope Prevost is the first pontiff to hold a mathematics degree, as reported by Virgilio Scuola.
In 1981, he made his solemn profession and, the following year, earned a Master of Divinity from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. After serving as a missionary in Peru, where he also taught canon law at the seminary of Trujillo, he arrived in Rome in 1988 to study Canon Law at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas – also known as the Angelicum – earning his doctorate magna cum laude. His doctoral thesis was titled “The Role of the Local Prior in the Order of Saint Augustine.”
The visit from his former classmates offered a poignant reminder of Pope Leone XIV’s roots and the formative experiences that shaped his life before his calling to the papacy. The Vatican has not yet announced Pope Leone XIV’s schedule for the coming weeks, but further details regarding upcoming audiences and engagements will be released through Vatican News.
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