Pope Leo XIV joined the Augustinian order shortly after graduating from Villanova University, one of two Augustinian colleges in the United States.
But what's an Augustinian? Well, the Augustianians are a religious order.
So what's a religious order?
A religious order is kind of like a club. Or in Catholic lingo, it's a "spiritual family." There is actually a difference between a religious order and a religious congregation, but it's a slight difference in canon law, so for the purpose of this article, we'll refer to them all as "orders."
Some religious orders, like the Jesuits, are male only, while others, like the Franciscans and Dominicans, have congregations of religious sisters and religious brothers. Some have lay members associated with them as well.
In Pope Leo XIV's case, he is a member of the Order of Saint Augustine, which is known by the name "Augustinians."
Priests can be members of religious orders, as Francis and Leo were. But they don't have to be.
Non-religious order priests (sometimes called secular) belong to dioceses and spend the entirety of their priestly careers in one geographical area. But priests in religious orders are members of provinces, which typically span a much larger geographic location than a diocese.
Pope Leo XIV was ordained a priest of the Midwest Augustinian Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel.
The Midwest Augustinians have brothers serving throughout the Midwestern United States, Louisiana, and Texas, as well as in parts of Canada.
He served as a missionary in Peru for many years before returning as the prior provincial (the supervisor) of the province.
As Pope Leo also served for some time as the superior of his religious order at the international level (not just the regional), he already has notable experience with a global role, having visited Augustinian communities all over the world, such as in Nigeria and the Philippines.
"Charism," "Habits," and "Founders"
Religious orders also have a “charism.” Think of a charism as kind of like a tradition or custom, or special purpose. The Augustinians' charism is charity towards others and following the rule of St. Augustine.
Additionally, some, but not all, people in religious orders wear a habit (special religious robe or clothing). This can become a distinguishing characteristic of the order; for example, Franciscans are associated with brown or gray habits, Dominicans with white habits, etc.
Often, members of religious orders live in community with other members of their order.
Religious orders also generally have a founder. This is often a priest or nun who felt a special calling from God to establish (found) the order, usually because he or she sensed that the "charism" they were being given by the Holy Spirit was an answer to a specific need in the Church. Often founders are basically the first members of their new order. It has also happened that a religious order can be founded by a lay person.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta is a famous (recent) founder: She answered a call from God to found the religious order of the Missionaries of Charity, with the particular charism of caring for the poorest of the poor.
Sometimes founders go on to be canonized as saints.
St. Francis founded the Franciscans. St. Dominic founded the Dominicans. St. Ignatius founded the Jesuits, and so on.
Religious order popes
With his election, Pope Leo XIV is the second pontiff in a row who belonged to a religious order prior to his election.
This is the first time this has happened since the back-to-back papacies of Pope Benedict XII, a member of the Cistercians, and Pope Clement VI, a member of the Benedictine order.
If neither of those names rings a bell, that's understandable: Pope Benedict XII was elected in 1334, and Pope Clement VI was elected in 1342, serving as pope until his death in 1352.
Until the election of Pope Francis -- the first pope ever to have been a member of the Society of Jesus ("Jesuits") -- the most recent pope to have been a member of a religious order was Pope Gregory XVI.
Gregory XVI, who was born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari, was a Camaldolese, a religious order that is part of the Benedictine family. He was elected pope in 1831.
Other popes that belonged to religious orders include Pope Pius VII (a Benedictine), Pope Clement XIV (a Conventual Franciscan), and Pope Benedict XII (a Dominican).
