Quincy University’s Brenner Library is honored to house the Riggitano Collection, which encompasses the Quincy University career of alumnus Giovanni Riggitano, as well as the lives of his sisters while they lived in Quincy in the early 1900s. Giovanni Riggitano, also known as John Riggitano Prevost, was the paternal grandfather of Pope Leo XIV.
“John Riggitano, as he was known in Quincy, became a gifted teacher of languages and by all accounts was an excellent student and scholar,” said Brian McGee, PhD, QU president. “With the creation of the Riggitano Collection, Quincy University has made an important resource available for all those interested in learning more about the origins of the first American pope and his fascinating family history. I believe this collection will influence research on Pope Leo XIV and the American Catholic Church for generations to come.”
“We are pleased to announce the availability of the Riggitano Collection in time for the one-year anniversary of the election of Robert Cardinal Prevost as pope,” said McGee. Pope Leo XIV became pope on May 8, 2025.
The Riggitano Collection consists of original documents detailing John Riggitano’s enrollment and education at St. Francis Solanus College, now Quincy University, from 1904-1907. The collection also includes newspaper clippings mentioning him and his sisters Vittoria Riggitano Cento and Rose Riggitano Chillemi. There is also a selection of early 20th century textbooks that John may have had access to during his time at St. Francis Solanus College.
“This is the story of one of many immigrant families who came to Quincy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,” said Lindsey Witt, instructional librarian and preservation archivist.
“From those humble beginnings comes one of most influential men in the Christian world today, and I think it’s a quintessentially American story.” Witt said the Riggitano Collection is a powerful example of looking for connections with the past, to bring people, who might have been forgotten, back to the forefront.
The Riggitano Collection includes gradebooks, ledgers, and student record books from the early 1900s, books that were or may have been assigned to students taking the courses John Riggitano took, and newspaper clippings and articles about Pope Leo XIV’s election in 2025 and his family connection to Quincy University and Quincy, Illinois.
QU library personnel spent several months researching and gathering details about the Riggitano family and their time in Quincy, plus additional time to arrange and organize the collection.
“Items in the Riggitano collection represent the impact a place like Quincy, specifically Quincy University, can have in the world,” said Katie Kraashaur, dean of library and information services. “Who could have foretold the journey Mr. Riggitano took from a town in Italy to Quincy, Illinois, would result in lineage leading to the first Pope from the United States? This collection honors the dedication John Riggitano had to his own education, to supporting his sisters and their families, and to his desire to lift others up through the study of language and lifelong learning. While we do not know his full purpose in attending courses here, we can hold him up as an example of how much the world can be changed by one person.”
Pope Leo XIV (Robert Prevost), born in Chicago, Illinois, is the 267th pope and serves as the bishop of Rome and as the head of the Catholic church, with over 1.4 billion baptized Catholics worldwide. The office of pope dates to the first century. Pope Leo XIV is the first pope born in the United States and the second pope from the Americas. The pope’s father, Louis Marius Prevost, was the son of John Riggitano.
The Riggitano Collection is housed in Brenner Library on QU’s main campus. Brenner Library is open to the public Monday – Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
For more information and to view the collection, contact Katie Kraushaar or Lindsey Witt at Quincy University’s Brenner Library, 217-228-5432 x-3800.
Founded in 1860 by Franciscan friars, Quincy University is a small Catholic university emphasizing the sciences, liberal arts and the professions. Quincy University offers undergraduate, graduate and adult education programs integrating practical experience and Franciscan values. Faculty and advisors work with students to design customized success plans to help them graduate on time, find their passion and prepare them for life. QU is a member of NCAA Division II for intercollegiate athletics. For more information, visit www.quincy.edu or contact the Office of Community Relations at (217) 228-5275 or communityrelations@quincy.edu. Quincy University. Success by Design.