Archbishop Rozanski celebrated Mass April 21 at Cathedral Basilica
Pope Francis lived the Gospel through his example and inspired all of us to do the same, Archbishop Mitchell T. Rozanski said at Mass of remembrance for the Holy Father on April 21 at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.
Hundreds of people attended the 12:05 p.m. Mass on Easter Monday, hours after the Holy Father’s death was announced at the Vatican.
“As we gather so appropriately in this Easter season, we reflect upon the Easter faith that Pope Francis has taught us over these past 12 years,” Archbishop Rozanski said in his homily. “In leading the Church in proclaiming the Gospel, Pope Francis has consistently given us the message that the poor are our brothers and sisters, that we are called to reach out to all of our brothers and sisters and to help them in any need they have.”
Pope Francis also challenged us with the Gospel, and “he made us realize that Jesus has come to transform our lives, that Jesus came to give us the fullness of the kingdom and that invitation to live as disciples in the world,” Archbishop Rozanski said. Through his writings and teachings, the Holy Father “has indeed encouraged and challenged us to live as those people who truly follow the Lord Jesus, knowing that living the Gospel is never easy in any age and particularly in our own age.”
On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to give his Easter blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world). He also rode in the popemobile around St. Peter’s Square, waving to the crowd and blessing babies.
At a press conference after Mass, Archbishop Rozanski said that it was a surprise to wake up to the news of the pontiff’s death and found it especially meaningful that the Holy Father could be among the people on his final day of life on earth.
“Being with people really gave him energy and to be with God’s people,” the archbishop said. “To have that blessing of being with his people on Easter Sunday — I couldn’t think of a better way to be called home to the Lord.”
Pope Francis challenged us to go out and live like Jesus among His people, Archbishop Rozanski said, adding that his legacy of living the Gospel message is apparent in many ways here in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, including our Catholic schools, hospitals and institutions that bring the presence of Christ to others.
Pope Francis also helped us “to realize that when Jesus encountered people in the Gospels, He listened to them, and then He accompanied them, and that’s what Pope Francis really witnessed to the Church in his ministry,” the archbishop said.
Massgoers remembered the Holy Father for his kindness, inclusivity and for witnessing to the dignity of all human life.
Arianne Augie accompanied her daughter, then a student at Rosati-Kain High School, to Rome two years ago to sing for Pope Francis. She remembered his kindness toward the students and how the visit meant a lot to them.
“I will remember him for bringing the Church closer to the people on the margins — all of the people on the margins — whether it be the poor or women or the LGBT community,” said Augie, who attends the Catholic Student Center at Washington University in St. Louis. “He loved everyone without distinction, like kind of the Sisters of St Joseph’s motto — the dear neighbor without distinction.”
Pope Francis’ death felt personal to Joan Niehoff, also of the Catholic Student Center.
“I feel like he was my pope,” she said. “He was a pope whose priorities were good. He thought about the migrants, the poor … He was a good guy, and I feel like he reached out to everyone.”
Stephen and Gabriela Niemira of St. Raphael the Archangel Parish in St. Louis had a vacation day and already planned to bring their two children to Mass on Easter Monday when they learned of Pope Francis’ death.
“I didn’t always agree with him and all of his policy choices,” Stephen Niemira said. “But he was a holy man, and we pray for him. He was our spiritual father, and we’ll mourn his loss and pray for the repose of his soul and pray for his successor — and our holy Church.”
Natalie Reeves will remember Pope Francis as a man of “true joy” who lived out the presence of Christ to others, not just in words but actions, and he wasn’t afraid to touch on subjects that might have been deemed by some as difficult.
“From start to finish, I appreciated him showing concern for the poor and marginalized, and also noticed the possible areas in the Church that could be reformed and kind of took, in my opinion, some action on that,” said Reeves, who attends St. Clement of Rome in Des Peres and Incarnate Word in Chesterfield. “I felt like he wasn’t afraid to kind of talk about these kinds of topics … but yet would come back to the truth” of the Church.
