Since his death on Easter Monday at 88, Pope Francis has been remembered for his deep care and concern for all God’s people, especially those in great need. During his years as a Vatican official, Msgr. Geno Sylva, a Paterson priest, witnessed the late Holy Father’s abiding love for everyone and experienced it firsthand.
Msgr. Sylva, now rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, had the remarkable opportunity to work with Pope Francis on Vatican events for the Universal Church’s Jubilee of Mercy from 2015 to 2016. The priest saw the pontiff make time for a young girl in emotional distress, joke with Vatican employees, and enjoy a dinner with 5,000 local people who were homeless for World Day of the Poor later in 2017. The Holy Father even asked Msgr. Sylva to show him his scar after undergoing neck surgery.
Pope Francis’ concern for people’s joys inspires Msgr. Sylva to lead St. John’s, the diocese’s “mother church,” which ministers to the surrounding neighborhood’s poor, and to serve as diocesan vicar for special projects. From 2012 to 2018, the priest was an English-language official of the former Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization for the Holy See in Rome—starting under Pope Benedict XVI, who retired in 2013.
“In photos, Pope Francis looks serious, but had a great sense of humor. When I met him informally, I was overwhelmed by his humility and efforts to reflect the merciful face of God. He also wanted the Church to reflect that, ” said Msgr. Sylva, adding that he was surprised the Holy Father was curious about his neck surgery. “He had a deep interest in people — for real.”
Two years ago, Pope Francis named Msgr. Sylva to the first section of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization for a five-year term. The section is headed by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, the priest’s former supervisor at the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization, the precursor to the dicastery.
Msgr. Sylva mentioned to The Beacon a story he told to local media about witnessing the Holy Father make room in his busy schedule with dignitaries and world leaders to meet with a distraught little girl.
“She said, my brother’s dying of cancer, I have to speak to the Holy Father,” Msgr. Sylva told PIX11 on Monday. He asked Pope Francis if he had time to meet with the girl. “The Holy Father sits with this 12-year-old girl as if she’s the Queen of England for 20 minutes. And at the end, her tears of sadness were tears of joy.”
Pope Francis expanded St. Pope John Paul II and Benedict’s vision of “pushing the Church out into the world to evangelize — how to bring the story of Jesus, which is unchanged, to be received and celebrated by a different world,” Msgr. Sylva said.
St. John’s builds on that evangelistic vision with outreaches, such as its Special Needs Ministry, Christmas in Bethlehem toy distribution, Paterson Prep Charter School, and its after-school program.
During the Jubilee of Mercy, the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization mapped out the logistics of each Vatican event to “make the Holy Father’s vision come alive,” Msgr. Sylva said.
The Paterson priest last saw the Holy Father in March last year in Rome at a Dicastery for Evangelization gathering.
“Pope Francis was in good spirits. I asked him to bless 100 rosaries for me to give to cathedral volunteers,” Msgr. Sylva said. “His death is heartbreaking. He did so much good. He had a wonderful vision for the Church.”
