This is Pope Leo XIV's mother's recipe for "Messy Josephs," their family Sloppy Joes

Have you ever wanted to eat like the pope? As we visited the south suburbs to celebrate Pope Leo XIV's first year leading the Catholic Church, a family friend shared Mrs. Prevost's "Messy Josephs" recipe with us.

Pope Leo XIV grew up Robert Prevost on Chicago's South Side and in the south suburbs. His mother Millie had her own special recipe for Sloppy Joes, which she called Messy Josephs.

Jean Koehler went to school with the pope when they were children, at St. Mary's School on the South Side. While she didn't know the pope, her parents and the Prevosts were friends, and sang in the choir together.

Millie Prevost also worked at St. Mary's and one of their roles was as a lunch lady, Koehler said. In 1981, Koehler's mother typed up the recipe for Millie's Messy Josephs, which were part of the school's lunch menu, and gave it to her daughter. Now Koehler share the recipe with friends and family and even included it in her Christmas cards last year.

If you'd like to try the pope's mother's Messy Josephs, here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 lbs. ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sweet relish
• 2 cups catsup or tomato sauce (if using tomato sauce, increase brown sugar to 3/4 cup)

Recipe:

• Brown the meat in a pan
• Drain the grease
• Add onions, then other ingredients, and bring to a simmer
• Simmer until done and serve