Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney reminded the faithful to follow the late Pope Francis’ example “to extend God’s love and mercy to everyone in the world” as Pilgrims of Hope, during a bilingual Mass for the Suffrage of the Soul of Pope Francis which he celebrated at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on April 25.
Believers from around the Paterson Diocese gathered for the 12:30 p.m. Mass to remember and pray for the late Holy Father’s peaceful repose. He died at 88 in his Vatican City apartment early Monday morning, April 21, from a stroke and heart failure. The pope’s funeral Mass occurred the next day, Saturday, April 26, in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
At the diocesan Mass, worshippers recalled the pope’s influence on the Universal Church during his 12-year pontificate. He promoted the dignity of everyone and care for poor people and the environment, and urged the faithful to seek and then share God’s love, mercy, and peace.
“We come with sadness because we have experienced the death of our beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis. But we come in that same hope and love that we celebrate every Eucharist. We celebrate with particular joy in these Easter days, reflecting on the glory and great mystery of God’s plan and mercy,” said Bishop Sweeney in his homily. “We give thanks for the shepherd Pope Francis was. We pray that we can learn the mercy and forgiveness of our loving God that gives us peace, that calls us to care for one another.”
Bishop Sweeney continued: “We pray for our cardinals and ask the help of the Holy Spirit that our next Holy Father will lead us in the same way to our merciful, loving, and forgiving God.”
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Bishop Sweeney was the main celebrant and homilist for the Mass. Many priests concelebrated the liturgy, including Msgr. Geno Sylva, St. John’s rector and diocesan vicar for special projects, who proclaimed the Gospel. Deacons, religious, seminarians, diocesan staff, and parish faithful also attended the Mass, with Gary Crosby, the president of St. Elizabeth University in the Convent Station neighborhood of Morris Township.
On the altar during the Mass, Pope Francis’ portrait stood next to the diocesan Jubilee Cross for the Year of Hope, which the Holy Father declared for 2025.
In his homily, Bishop Sweeney said Pope Francis served the Church and shared the hope and joy in Christ with everyone until the end of his life. He addressed a crowd in St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, probably against his doctor’s orders, to wish everyone a “Happy Easter — he has risen,” the bishop said.
Earlier, the Holy Father used his hospitalization as an “example of being a pilgrim of hope even in times of pain and suffering, being united with our Lord Jesus on the cross and our Blessed Mother [and] receiving that gift of peace and sharing it with others,” Bishop Sweeney told worshippers.
For this Holy Year, Pope Francis called Catholics “to encounter our loving and merciful God, and to be Pilgrims of Hope” for the Jubilee Year, Bishop Sweeney said in his homily.
Pope Francis called believers to “go out to the peripheries, offering that mercy, asking forgiveness when necessary [and] looking for our sisters and brothers who might feel lost or alone or voiceless — maybe even those hurt by the Church.” The pope encouraged the faithful to be “non-judgmental and welcoming” during their encounters, Bishop Sweeney said.
At the heart of Pope Francis’ priesthood was his “caring and concern for the poor.” As pope, he also called for the “care of our beautiful ‘common home’ — this planet: the beautiful creation of God.” The bishop said the pontiff also called on world leaders to make peace, not war.
In one of his most newsworthy acts, Pope Francis initiated an outreach the LGBTQ community, Bishop Sweeney said.
“Pope Francis is teaching us not to judge but to realize that we’re all God’s children and everyone should feel welcome in God’s home, a house of prayer — every church. Let us pray that we can follow his example,” Bishop Sweeney said in his homily.
Throughout the week, many parishes in the diocese have been holding Masses and other opportunities for worship and prayer in Pope Francis’ honor.
