Archdiocese of New Orleans tracks the Louisiana Lineage of Pope Leo XIV

 Rooted in Faith:  Pope Leo XIV's Louisiana Lineageooted in Faith: Pope Leo XIV's

by Katie Beeman & Sarah Waits

The Office of Archives and Records has installed a new exhibit at the Old Ursuline Convent Museum in the French Quarter, titled "Rooted in Faith: Pope Leo XIV's Louisiana Lineage." This installation features a comprehensive family tree that highlights Pope Leo's Catholic connections to New Orleans through his maternal ancestors. Although both Pope Leo and his mother, Mildred Agnes Martinez, were born in Chicago, Mildred's family has deep roots in the Crescent City, with generations having been born and raised here.

“Discovering the baptismal record of Pope Leo's great-grandmother was one of the most extraordinary finds of my career,” said archdiocesan archivist Katie Beeman who is director of the Office of Archives and Records. 

“His great-grandmother, Eugenie Baquie, was baptized in 1840 at St. Louis Cathedral. Learning that she was baptized in the oldest continuously operating cathedral in the United States is just the beginning of her family's deep connection to New Orleans,” continued Beeman. 

“We have traced Pope Leo's family lineage back to the 1750s, with many of the sacraments occurring at St. Louis Cathedral.”

The Office of Archives and Records holds sacramental records of baptisms, marriages, funerals, and burials dating back over 300 years. With nearly 3,500 sacramental record books, the archdiocesan staff has dedicated hundreds of hours to researching the lineage of Pope Leo XIV. 

During this meticulous research, the archives team discovered many of Pope Leo's Louisiana ancestors, with the oldest record dated 1728, at a time when the budding French colony was just a small settlement along the Mississippi River. 

While various news outlets have traced the Pope's lineage back to Europe, the Archives Office concentrated on exploring the extensive local Catholic records in our holdings to share his family's story. The family tree includes more than fifty of Mildred's ancestors, with nearly every individual linked to at least one sacramental record connecting them to New Orleans or Louisiana.

Among these ancestors, nineteen were identified as free people of color in the sacramental records, indicating a mixed African and European heritage. Notably, three of these ancestors, Jeannette Glapion, Marie-Louise, and Marie Burette, were born enslaved in the 18th century. 

Scans of all the sacramental records used as source material for the family tree will soon be available for viewing through an online exhibit hosted on the Archives' website at https://nolacatholic.org.

The feast day of an Apostle

 

St. Thomas

Feastday: July 3
Patron: of architects

St. Thomas was born a Jew and was called to be one of the twelve Apostles. His birth and death dates are unknown, but his feast day is celebrated July 3. He lived before the formal establishment of the Catholic Church but is recognized as the patron saint of architects.

He was a dedicated but impetuous follower of Christ. When Jesus said He was returning to Judea to visit His sick friend Lazarus, Thomas immediately exhorted the other Apostles to accompany Him on the trip which involved certain danger and possible death because of the mounting hostility of the authorities.

At the Last Supper, when Christ told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them to which they also might come because they knew both the place and the way, Thomas pleaded that they did not understand and received the beautiful assurance that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

St. Thomas is best known for his role in verifying the Resurrection of his Master. Thomas' unwillingness to believe that the other Apostles had seen their risen Lord on the first Easter Sunday earned him the title of "doubting Thomas."

Eight days later, on Christ's second apparition, Thomas was gently rebuked for his skepticism and furnished with the evidence he had demanded - seeing in Christ's hands the point of the nails. Thomas even put his fingers in the nail holes and his hand into Christ's side. After verifying the wounds were true, St. Thomas became convinced of the reality of the Resurrection and exclaimed, "My Lord and My God," thus making a public Profession of Faith in the Divinity of Jesus.

St. Thomas is also mentioned as being present at another Resurrection appearance of Jesus - at Lake Tiberias, when a miraculous catch of fish occurred.

This is all that we know about St. Thomas from the New Testament. Tradition says that at the dispersal of the Apostles after Pentecost this saint was sent to evangelize to the Parthians, Medes, and Persians. He ultimately reached India, carrying the Faith to the Malabar coast, which still boasts a large native population calling themselves "Christians of St. Thomas."

According to tradition, Thomas was killed in an accident when a fowler shot at a peacock and struck Thomas instead. Following his death, some of his relics were taken to Edessa while the rest were kept in what is now known as India. They can still be found within the San Thome Basilica in Chennai, Mylapore, India.

The relics taken to Edessa were moved in 1258 to Italy, where they can be found in the Cathedral of St. Thomas the Apostle in Ortona, Italy. However, it is believed that Saint Thomas' skull rests in the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian on the Greek Island Patmos.

In art, Saint Thomas is commonly depicted as a young man holding a scroll, or as a young adult touching the resurrected Christ's wounds.

A new Bishop for the Diocese of Austin, Texas

 

Pope Leo XIV names California bishop as new bishop of Austin, Texas

OSV News 

Bishop Daniel E. Garcia of Monterey, Calif., speaks during a Nov. 16, 2022, session of the fall general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore. On July 2, 2025, Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Garcia as the bishop of Austin, Texas. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Daniel E. Garcia of Monterey, California, as the bishop of Austin, Texas.

The appointment was publicized in Washington July 2 by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S.

Earlier this year, on Jan. 20, Bishop Joe S. Vásquez, who was serving as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Austin since March 8, 2010, was named by Pope Francis as archbishop of Galveston-Houston, where he was installed on March 25.

Bishop Garcia was born Aug. 30, 1960, and grew up in Waco and Cameron, Texas. He is bilingual in English and Spanish and has three younger sisters. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Austin on May 28, 1988.

He earned arts degrees from Tyler Junior College in 1982 and University of St. Thomas in Houston in 1984, while attending St. Mary Seminary. He went on to receive a master of divinity in 1988, earning a master of arts in liturgical studies from St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota.

According to the diocesan website, throughout his ministry, Bishop Garcia served in numerous parishes and leadership roles. His first assignments were as associate pastor at St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Cristo Rey Parish, and St. Louis King of France Parish, all in Austin.

In the mid-1990s he served in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston at St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Humble and was named the founding pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Austin, where he guided the community through its formation and multiple building projects, including the construction of a permanent church and sanctuary.

Beyond parish ministry, Bishop Garcia held several diocesan roles, including service in the vocation office, priests’ personnel board, and the presbyteral council, where he also served as chair.

In 2014, he was appointed vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Austin by now-Archbishop Vásquez. The following year, Pope Francis appointed him auxiliary bishop of Austin.

In 2018, Pope Francis named Bishop Garcia the bishop of the Diocese of Monterey.

Bishop Garcia has served on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Communications and the Committee on Divine Worship. He is also a member of the board of directors for Catholic Relief Services.

The Diocese of Austin is comprised of 21,066 square miles in the state of Texas and has a total population of nearly 3.8 million, of whom 678,545 are Catholic.

Pope Leo XIV releases his message for World Day of Prayer for Creation

 

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• message
• season of creation
• laudato si
• environment
• justice

Pope: God’s creation is not a battleground for vital resources

In his Message for the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, Pope Leo XIV quotes extensively from Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’, denouncing environmental and social injustice and noting that God’s creation is not intended to be a battleground for vital resources.

By Linda Bordoni

As the Church prepares to mark the Tenth World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on 1 September 2025, Pope Leo XIV’s message for the occasion urges Christians and all people of goodwill to recognize the urgent need for environmental and social justice in a world increasingly scarred by climate change, conflict, and inequality.

Entitled Seeds of Peace and Hope and released on July 2, the Pope’s message resonates with the spirit of the ongoing Jubilee Year, calling the faithful to embrace their role as "pilgrims of hope" and stewards of God's creation.

Justice in a wounded world

Echoing the prophetic words of Isaiah, Pope Leo invites the global community to envision a transformation of today’s “arid and parched desert” into “a fruitful field.” This biblical vision, he explains, is not a poetic metaphor but an urgent call to action in the face of alarming ecological and human crises.

Quoting extensively from Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si' in the year of its 10th anniversary, he writes, “Injustice, violations of international law and the rights of peoples, grave inequalities, and the greed that fuels them are spawning deforestation, pollution, and the loss of biodiversity.”

Linking environmental destruction to the exploitation of the poor and marginalized, he highlights the disproportionate suffering of indigenous communities and the widening gap between rich and poor as hallmarks of a system that treats nature as a commodity rather than a common home.

Nature as a battleground

He laments the fact that nature itself has become “a bargaining chip,” subjected to policies and practices that prioritize profit over people and the planet. From agricultural lands riddled with landmines to conflicts over water and raw materials, Pope Leo paints a sobering picture of a creation “turned into a battleground” for control and domination.

These wounds, he says, are “the effect of sin,” a betrayal of the biblical command not to dominate creation, but to “till and keep” it, a call to cultivate and preserve the Earth through a relationship of care and responsibility.

Environmental justice as a moral imperative

The Pope’s message reaffirms the Church’s commitment to an “integral ecology,” a concept at the heart of Laudato si’. Environmental justice, the Holy Father affirms, is not an abstract or secondary concern but a “duty born of faith.”

“For believers,” he writes, “the universe reflects the face of Jesus Christ, in whom all things were created and redeemed.” In this light, caring for the planet becomes not only an ecological necessity but also a profoundly spiritual and moral vocation.

Seeds that bear fruit

Encouraging concrete action, Pope Leo calls for perseverance and love in sowing “seeds of justice” that will, in time, bear the fruits of peace. He cites the Borgo Laudato Si’ project at Castel Gandolfo as a tangible example of how education and community life rooted in ecological values can shape a just and hopeful future.

“This may take years,” the Pope acknowledges, “but years that involve an entire ecosystem made up of continuity, fidelity, cooperation and love.”

A blessing for the future

Concluding his message with a prayer for the outpouring of God’s Spirit, Pope Leo XVI invokes the hope of the risen Christ as the guiding light for a world longing for healing.

“May [Laudato si’] continue to inspire us,” he writes, “and may integral ecology be increasingly accepted as the right path to follow.”

Saint of the Day for Wednesday

 

St. Otto of Bamberg

Bishop and Apostle of Pomerania. Born in Swabia, to a noble family, he served Emperor Henry IV in various posts, including that of chancellor. However, Otto was not in favor of Henry’s policies toward the Holy See, in particular his insistence of rights of investiture. Thus, when Otto was appointed bishop of Bamberg in 1103, he refused to be consecrated until receiving approval from Pope Paschal II who consecrated him in 1106. Otto was a figure in the reconciliation of the pope and Emperor Henry V. At the behest of King Boleslav III of Poland, Otto headed a missionary effort to Pomerania where he found considerable success in making converts among the local inhabitants. In honor of his work, he is known as the Apostle of Pomerania. He died in Bamberg on June 30. He was canonized in 1189.

Continue reading about St. Otto of Bamberg

Naming of a new Archbishop for Mobile, Alabama

 

Pope accepts resignation of Archbishop Rodi, names St. Louis auxiliary as successor

written by Gina Christian 

St. Louis Auxiliary Bishop Mark S. Rivituso is pictured in a file photo. On July 1, 2025, Pope Leo XIV accepted the resignation of Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi of Mobile, Ala., and appointed Bishop Rivituso as his successor. (OSV News photo/Lisa Johnston, courtesy St. Louis Review)

(OSV News) — The Archdiocese of Mobile, Alabama, will welcome a new shepherd, as Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi and appointed Auxiliary Bishop Mark S. Rivituso of St. Louis as his successor.

The resignation and appointment were announced in Washington July 1 by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to the U.S.

Archbishop Rodi, 76, had submitted his resignation to the pope in March 2024 upon reaching his 75th birthday, as required by canon law. 

The archbishop, who has served in his current see for more than 17 years, will continue as apostolic administrator of the Mobile Archdiocese until the installation of Archbishop Rivituso, expected to take place within about two months. The date and location of the installation Mass have not yet been finalized.

Archbishop Rodi hailed the appointment of his successor, saying in a July 1 statement he was “most grateful to the Holy Father for sending us this outstanding bishop.”

The 63-year-old Archbishop Rivituso, a St. Louis native and the sixth of eight children, has ministered extensively throughout that archdiocese and has served as its vicar general since 2011.

A graduate of Cardinal Glennon College and Kenrick Seminary, both in St. Louis, he earned a licentiate in canon and civil law from St. Paul University in Ottawa, Ontario.

His call to priesthood was an early one, marked by a devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, before which he prayed daily while a student at St. Mary’s High School. His family regularly attended Eucharistic Holy Hours and also practiced devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. On Holy Thursday, they paid visits to the Blessed Sacrament at various Catholic churches.

His 1988 priestly ordination in St. Louis foreshadowed a future connection to Mobile: The late Archbishop John L. May, who ordained him, had led the Alabama archdiocese prior to his St. Louis appointment.

Archbishop Rivituso was a confessor for the Little Sisters of the Poor as well as a chaplain for the Veterans Administration in St. Louis. In addition, he has long experience in prison and death-row ministry and has advocated for the end of capital punishment in Missouri.

“The late Pope Francis really taught me about making sure that we’re mindful of those who are on the peripheries,” he said in an interview published July 1 by the St. Louis Review, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. “I feel like that’s always something that’s going to be important in my heart and ministry. The church is so blessed to be involved in the works of compassion, and I think that’s where we truly live what Jesus has called us to do about living his works of mercy.”

Pope Leo XIV "truly wishes" to visit Vietnam

 

Pope Leo XIV says he 'truly wishes' to visit Vietnam

Vietnamese Catholics now wait in prayer and hope that their heartfelt desire will soon become reality

Pope Leo XIV receives Võ Thị Ánh Xuân, the vice-president of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, in the Vatican, on June 30. (Photo: Vatican Media)

In a significant diplomatic and pastoral moment, Pope Leo XIV met with Vietnamese Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân on June 30 and openly expressed his strong personal desire to visit Vietnam “in the near future.”

The statement, made during an official audience at the Apostolic Palace, has sparked hope and excitement among Vietnamese Catholics, many of whom have long yearned for such a possibility.

This marks the clearest sign yet of a future papal visit to Vietnam — an idea once considered impossible.

The pope’s declaration was made during a 45-minute meeting, during which he warmly welcomed Xuân and her delegation. Pope Leo told the Vietnamese vice president that he “truly wishes” to travel to Vietnam and meet with the faithful in person.

In response, Xuân extended a formal invitation on behalf of the Vietnamese government, saying the country would be honored to welcome the pope “in a spirit of friendship and mutual respect.”

This is the first time a reigning pope has publicly expressed the desire to visit Vietnam during a high-level diplomatic meeting, signaling a potential turning point in Vatican–Vietnam relations and igniting a wave of hope across the country.

A dream of millions

For generations of Vietnamese Catholics, the hope of a papal visit has remained unfulfilled — until now, when that hope seems within reach.

Across Vietnam, where Catholics make up about 7 percent of the population (roughly 6 million people), news of the pope’s interest in visiting them has been met with joy and anticipation.

“Just ten years ago, the idea of a pope visiting Vietnam felt like nothing more than a distant dream. But today, it has never seemed more real. With God, nothing is impossible — thanks be to Him,” said John Trần Minh, a lay leader of a small rural sub-parish.

Catholics on social media quickly shared the news, with many noting the emotional weight of the pope’s choice of words. “He doesn’t just agree to come — he wants to. That means everything,” wrote one young Catholic from Ho Chi Minh City on Facebook.

Many have compared the potential trip to Pope John Paul II’s historic visits to Eastern Europe, which helped heal political divisions and empowered local churches during critical times of transition.

Although Vietnam and the Holy See haven’t established full diplomatic relations yet, their relationship has grown steadily over the past two decades.

In 2009, a Joint Working Group was established to maintain the dialogue between the two parties. Then, in 2011, the Vatican appointed a non-resident representative to Vietnam—a small but significant step forward.

More recently, in 2023, that position was upgraded to a resident papal representative based in Hanoi, a move that many observers viewed as a significant breakthrough.

These efforts have helped build trust.

During her visit to the Vatican, Xuân also met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Secretary for Relations with States of the Vatican. She reaffirmed Vietnam’s willingness to support the work of the Holy See’s representative in Hanoi and to keep the dialogue moving forward.

A visit that could make history

If Pope Leo’s visit to Vietnam happens, it would be the first time in history that the head of the Catholic Church has set foot in the country. For many Catholics in Vietnam, that would mean the world.

It would be a powerful sign that the Church hasn’t forgotten them and that the Holy Father truly wants to be close to his people, wherever they are.

But beyond the symbolism, the visit could also have a real impact.

It would offer encouragement to the local Church, especially in areas such as education, healthcare, and helping the poor. It opens new doors for cooperation between religious communities and public institutions.

The pope’s presence could also convey a positive message about religious harmony in a country with diverse faiths.

In a bigger sense, the pope’s interest in Vietnam fits with the Vatican’s quiet but steady approach to diplomacy in Asia. Rather than relying on big speeches or political statements, the Holy See often builds bridges through relationships, presence, and personal gestures.

That’s what makes this moment so important — not just for Vietnam, but for the Church in the region.

Looking ahead

Vietnamese Catholics now wait in prayer and hope that Pope Leo’s heartfelt desire will soon become reality. While the Vatican has not confirmed a timeline, both sides have pledged to continue diplomatic discussions through existing channels.

As the universal Church embraces a new era of synodality, Pope Leo’s outreach to Vietnam sends a clear and moving message: no community is too distant, and no people are forgotten.

“His Holiness wants to come. That alone is a grace,” said one nun in Hanoi. “Now, together, we prepare our hearts to welcome him.”

*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.