HOUSTON – When Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV, many around the world wondered: Who is this man now leading the Catholic Church? For one Houston woman, the answer is deeply personal.
Judy Connolly, a native of Houston and former Catholic nun, remembers Pope Leo XIV not as a distant religious figure, but as “Bob”—a classmate, a friend, and a rare voice of support in a time of protest and change.
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“I met Bob in 1978, when we were both students at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago,” Connolly recalls. “He was younger than me—he’s 69 now and I’m now 75. So, things were much different than today.”
Connolly, who spent 32 years with the School Sisters of Notre Dame and worked as a German interpreter, had a bold dream: to become the first woman ordained in her seminary. While many classmates resisted the idea, Bob supported her quietly but steadfastly.
“Some people were angry, some people were hopeful, and some protested,” Connolly says. “But Bob was grounded. His focus was always on offering leadership to the Church—for men and women alike.”
Though Connolly ultimately was not ordained, she remembers Bob’s encouragement, and says his actions gave her powerful affirmation of her place in the Church.
Now, as he takes the name Pope Leo XIV, Connolly sees his election as a symbolic bridge between tradition and progress.
“One of the signs to watch is always the name a new Pope chooses,” she explains. “It can signal a turn toward conservatism or progressivism. I believe the Cardinals chose someone who can relate to everyone—left, right, and across every culture.”
She describes Pope Leo XIV as a modest, grounded man, thoughtful in both word and action. “Whatever ‘firsts’ come during his papacy, they’ll be well considered.”
Though she was the only one in their class not ordained, Connolly says she is still very proud of her degree and says Pope Leo XIV‘s support reminded her that her contributions still mattered.
“I have big hopes for what he’ll bring to the Church. The one thing I can say is that he is someone we can trust as a leader.”
