April 27, 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As you know, Pope Francis passed from this life on Monday morning. In the days following a pope’s death, the faithful throughout the world are invited to pray for his peaceful rest and the salvation of his soul. In fact, this is what we do when confronted by any death. With the death of Pope Francis, though, the Christian response to the sadness of death takes on a unique and public significance. Our prayer for the dead in these days becomes a public witness of our hope in the power of the Lord’s resurrection. Jesus, crucified and risen from the tomb, has defeated sin and death and opened the way to salvation for all who follow Him. The prayer of the Church throughout the world is that Pope Francis would now share the benefit of the mercy won by Christ on Good Friday and the victory of Christ manifested on Easter Sunday. That the Holy Father went to his eternal rest in the Octave of Easter ought to be a reminder for us of that great hope we hold.

There are two moments in the days leading up to the Holy Father’s passing that I find very significant. First, shortly after he was discharged from the hospital, Pope Francis asked to be taken to St. Peter’s Basilica, where he paused for a period of prayer at the tomb of Pope St. Pius X, to whom he had a special devotion. As we pray for Pope Francis, let us invoke the intercession of our parish patron! Second, one of the last public acts of Pope Francis was on Easter Sunday. Wishing the faithful a happy Easter, Pope Francis proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and then offered the Apostolic Blessing. The last public appearance of the Pope ended with a blessing. What greater way for a priest’s life to end than in with a blessing offered to the faithful? May God return that blessing to Pope Francis with abundant mercy!

I write these words while waiting for the Holy See to announce the exact timeline of the Pope’s funeral rites. It is possible that you will read them after he has already been buried. If he has, please continue to hold him in prayer, and if he has not, I encourage you to join the prayer of the Church in any way you can. Providentially, the Sunday of the Octave of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday (April 27), falls within the prescribed days of mourning for Pope Francis. And so this weekend, on Sunday, we will gather as a community to pray for Pope Francis. At 3 PM, we will have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in the Church, and pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, followed by solemn vespers. Please join us in praying for our Holy Father’s soul and thanking God for the gift of the Petrine ministry.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Peace,

Fr. Sam