By Amy White
The Texas Catholic
The faithful of the Diocese of Dallas filled the pews and lined the walls of the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe on April 28 to solemnly commemorate the life and death of their late shepherd, Pope Francis, during a Diocese of Dallas Memorial Mass.
“Today, we gather in sacred remembrance of a man who has left an indelible mark not only on the Catholic Church but on the conscience of the world,” Bishop Edward J. Burns said to those gathered. “As we celebrate this memorial Mass, our hearts are full: They’re full of sorrow, but also full of gratitude for a shepherd who walked so closely with the flock.”
The memorial Mass, preceded by a multilingual rosary, drew hundreds of members of the local Church to the cathedral. On the altar, rows of priests and deacons joined Bishop Burns in the celebration of the Mass; while in the pews, religious sisters, seminarians, members of the local media, and the lay faithful stood shoulder to shoulder, bowing their heads in prayer for the repose of the late pontiff’s soul.
Like the multilingual rosary that preceded it, the memorial Mass was celebrated in multiple languages, a reflection of the universality of the Church mourning its Holy Father. A large choir, composed of parish choirs around the diocese and led by music director Cesar Anguiano, sang hymns in different languages during the celebration.
“It’s wonderful that no matter what language you speak, we all have the same love for God and the same purpose,” Mimi Hoang, a member of the choir from Mother of Perpetual Help Parish in Garland, said. “We’re here to pray for Pope Francis.”
Family of faith
Lo Schubilske, a parishioner of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, attended the memorial Mass with about a dozen other young adults from her parish. Following the service, she reminisced about the pope, including her past experience attending his papal audiences as a college student.
Pope Francis’ audiences — as well as the way he lived his life more generally — were characterized by “the intentionality and the care that he had for the whole Church and for all people,” Schubilske said. He served as “a reminder of humility and serving those ‘lower’ than yourself and just trying to be a light in everything that you do.”
Attending the memorial Mass was a way to honor this legacy of love and service, the young adult shared, and to unite with the universal Church family in mourning the loss of the Holy Father.
“As a Church, in the world, we’re all like a family,” she said. “Being able to have everyone come together in prayer… It’s so beautiful.”
St. Edwards Catholic Church parishioner Juanita Urbina, who also lauded the late pontiff’s humility and his love for all, echoed this sentiment.
“This is family,” she said of the Catholic Church, “and so if it’s family, we’ve got to be here.”
A heart for all
During his homily at the memorial Mass, Bishop Burns noted that although Pope Francis was unique in many ways — as the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from the Americas, the first pope to take the name ‘Francis’ — his papacy was not defined primarily by these novelties but instead by his love.
“It was his pastoral heart, the insistence of mercy, and his authentic witness to our Lord Jesus Christ, and it was the proclamation of the Gospel that truly defined his papacy,” the bishop shared. “We honor a man who taught us how to live and how to die in simplicity, in faith, and in hope.”
Catholics in attendance echoed this sentiment, citing the pope’s love for the poor, the overlooked, and the outcast as his defining trait.
“One of the titles of the pope is the ‘servant of servants,” St. Rita Catholic Church parishioner Andy Tran said. “To honor one of our servants, someone who helps preserve the unity of the Church” is the reason “why it’s important for us to gather together” in remembrance of the pope.
Tran noted that the pope served the Church in many ways during his papacy, including through his papal writings; he found Pope Francis’ apostolic letter “Patris Corde,” meaning “With a Father’s Heart,” to be particularly impactful in shaping the way he approaches his own vocation.
The St. Rita parishioner emphasized that Pope Francis’ service to the Church continued even to the end of the pontiff’s life, when he celebrated Easter Mass the day before his death.
“He was very present in a special way,” Tran said. “He was such a great pope.”
Deacon Charles Ruelas, assigned to Holy Spirit Parish in Duncanville, also mentioned Pope Francis’ compassionate service, especially his treatment of incarcerated persons.
“I myself served seven years in jail ministry,” the deacon explained, “and so that meant a lot to me to see Pope Francis in a similar ministry when he celebrated Mass at the prison and he installed the Holy Doors at the prison in Rome for this Jubilee Year… I felt the need to be here to say goodbye.”
Addressing those gathered in remembrance of their departed shepherd, Bishop Burns challenged the faithful to emulate Pope Francis’ defining humility and love of the marginalized.
“Let us not tire of building the kind of Church he envisioned: one that goes forth, one that smells like the sheep, one that embraces the crucified one of our time,” the bishop said. “Let us carry forward his vision with courage, compassion, joy, and love.”
Cutline for featured image: A man prays during a multilingual rosary prior to the celebration of the Diocese of Dallas Memorial Mass for Pope Francis on April 28 at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (MICHAEL GRESHAM/The Texas Catholic)
