Whity Rigsby, a graduate of Archbishop Molloy H.S., Briarwood, and now radio broadcaster for the Villanova men’s basketball team, says it’s surreal to think that he walked the same halls and shared in similar experiences as the pope.
Whity Rigsby, a graduate of Archbishop Molloy H.S., Briarwood, and now radio broadcaster for the Villanova men’s basketball team, says it’s surreal to think that he walked the same halls and shared in similar experiences as the pope.
Villanova athletes are celebrating Pope Leo XIV — a proud Villanova alum and lifelong sports fan — whose love for his alma mater’s teams and deep faith make him a relatable and inspiring figure for students.
Pope Leo XIV, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, is a native of Chicago who spent the first third of his life in the United States before his ministry took him to Peru and, more recently, to Rome. There, he served as the prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, advising Pope Francis on episcopal appointments around the globe.
Augustinian Father Robert Hagan said that fellow order member Pope Leo XIV has “always been a brother to us” — one who encouraged him from his early days to his own leadership role in the order.
Perhaps the strongest message to emerge from Villanova University’s April 18 Second Annual Anti-Poverty Symposium — “Unitas in Action: Fighting Poverty and Living Sustainably” — is that the intersection between poverty and environmental destruction is no coincidence. In the global chain of pollution and profit, poor communities are almost always adversely and disproportionately impacted.