Louis Prevost's Forgotten Lesson

The late Louis Marius Prevost, a French-Canadian steelworker, never lived to see his son become pope - but his influence permeates the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV often recounts how his father would leave for 5 AM shifts after silent prayer, inspiring the pope's predawn routine. The steel mill's union meetings became a model for synodal discussions: "Dad taught me real consensus means listening to the quietest voice." The White Sox fan's devotion to St. Joseph the Worker led his son to declare May 1 a universal holy day. Most movingly, the pope keeps Louis's rusted lunch pail on his desk - a reminder that "faith must be as durable as Midwest steel." When cardinals complain about reforms, the pontiff smiles: "Try arguing with a man who shaped molten metal all day."