St. Theresa School mascot gifted to Pope Francis

By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic

By Charlene Conill

VATICAN CITY| Students and faculty of St. Theresa Catholic School can now say that their mascot, Louis the Musketeer, has a new special residence - inside the Vatican. Coral Gables City Commissioner Kirk Menendez, who is a St. Theresa alumni parent and Church of the Little Flower parishioner, and his wife Maria Teresa, had a unique opportunity to visit Rome and the Vatican while attending a conference in August 2024 organized by the International Catholic Legislators Network.

The four-day event consisted of law-makers and members of parliament from over 60 countries around the world, including England, Austria, Japan, Syria, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Mexico, Kenya, Nigeria, Argentina, Kosovo, Lithuania, Colombia, France, Canada and Lebanon to discuss important issues that impact nations and communities worldwide. Commissioner Menendez was the only invited elected official from the State of Florida. 

His first visit to the Vatican City, Menendez wanted to make sure he brought something that would mean a lot to his faith and that could impact others in his community.

“I called Sister Rosalie [Nagy] soon after I was invited to attend the conference and asked her if she had any extra cut-outs of Louis. She said 'Yes, of course,'" Menendez said.

Menendez’s thought was that he would carry the mascot with him to the conference with the hope that he could share a piece of the school and the church with the Pope.

“I was not sure if I would actually be able to give Louis to the Pope or not, but I wanted to be ready to do so in case I was,” Menendez added.

He carried the cut-out of Louis the Musketeer in his jacket pocket and had his wife carry one as well.

The conference was highlighted by a private audience in Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace with Pope Francis. When it came time for Commissioner Menendez to meet with Pope Francis, he pulled Louis out from his inner pocket.

"I said 'Your Holiness, it is an honor to be in your presence. We are from Coral Gables in Miami, Florida - the adopted city of Leonel Messi,'” Menendez said.

He used this reference since the Pope, a big soccer fan, is from Argentina, just like Inter Miami soccer star Messi.

He went on saying “The children of St. Theresa Catholic School in Coral Gables present you a gift of our school’s mascot, Louis.”

Menendez saw the Pope’s eyes brighten as he accepted the cut-out of Louis. The pontiff smiled, and said to nearby Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna, “Esto es adorable"! ("This is adorable!")

Louis the Musketeer, the mascot of St. Theresa Catholic School, is a symbol of Catholic pride for the students and parents. Modeled after St. Theresa of Lisieux's pious father, Louis Martin, the mascot character was created by second grade teacher Deana Gonzalez.

“Louis was a team-effort. Our pastor Father Manny [Alvarez], and our principal, Sister Rosalie, chose a musketeer mascot for our school, and that mascot would become Louis. It makes me happy to know that the mascot that I created has brought so much joy to St. Theresa students and their families,” said Gonzalez.

At the end of every school year St. Theresa students receive a plastic cut-out of Louis to take along on summer vacations and travels. Throughout the summer, the school receives photos from students and faculty accompanied by Louis in various locales around the world, sharing them on the community's social media accounts with the hashtag “WheresLouis.”

Thanks to Commissioner Menendez, Louis indeed had the most exciting trip of the summer, gaining a new place to call home with His Holiness Pope Francis.