Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob celebrates the Mass for the Repose for the Soul of our Most Holy Father Pope Francis at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Milwaukee, on April 29. (Photos by Greta Taxis)
The first thing Terry Morgenroth of Milwaukee heard about Pope Francis after his election in 2013 was that the new pontiff had once worked as a bouncer in a nightclub.
“I thought it was pretty cool to have a pope that, at one time in his life, was a bouncer,” Morgenroth said in an interview outside the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist on April 29, just before the Mass for the Repose of the Soul of our Most Holy Father. “When I heard of it, I thought, ‘This guy, he’s tough. He’s got a lot of guts. And we need a pope that has a lot of guts.’ That’s what I liked about him.”
There were many aspects of Pope Francis carried within the hearts and memories of those who gathered at the Cathedral. Francis, the pope with guts. Francis, a builder of bridges. Francis, a champion of the poor.
“I just really felt he was a good man who we needed, at the right time,” said Fr. Larry Webber, O.F.M. Cap., who attended the Mass accompanied by Capuchin postulant Gio Figueroa. “He represented a Christ who gets beyond all the protocol to get to the heart of people, to relate to people.”
“I remember when I was a little kid in elementary school when he first came out through the doors, and that had an impact on me,” Figueroa said. At the time of Pope Francis’ election in 2013, his choice of wearing the simple white simar, or papal cassock, made headlines; the moment would become emblematic of his personal commitment to simplicity.
“We had St. John Paul II, the philosopher pope; then we had Benedict XVI, the theologian pope, and now Francis, the pastoral pope,” Figueroa continued. “And it was something I think the Church needed, at least for this time period, especially in how rocky things have gotten. A pope, also, that doesn’t lean on any side politically, (who is) just trying to spread the Gospel of Christ in that way.”
Rosemary Reyes of Glendale said that she “loved what (Pope Francis) stood for.”
“Pope Francis was the face of mercy. He was so conscious of the importance of our planet, and he believed in peace and loving others and reaching out to everyone,” she said, adding that she was also impressed by his ecumenical impact.
“Probably one of my favorite things about Pope Francis is that he draws people in from other faiths,” she said. “I have a very good friend who is not Catholic, but she absolutely loves, loves Pope Francis, and she would tell me what was going on in the Vatican and what his schedule was. He was a pope for all the people, not just Catholics.”
“I don’t think you need to be Catholic in order to see the value and the light that Pope Francis brought to this world,” said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who attended the Mass along with Bishop Paul D. Erickson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Greater Milwaukee Synod and former Milwaukee Mayor and former Ambassador to Luxembourg Tom Barrett.
“I remember when Pope Francis was elected, and having watched him over the years, I always thought Pope Francis was this incredible light in the world,” Johnson said. “Given the times in which we live today, it’s sad to see that light be extinguished. I know there will be a new pope who will go on to do great things, but Pope Francis, really, in my lifetime, was the person who is the Holy Father that really brought folks together in a way that I could feel, in a way that I could see, in a way that I could appreciate.”
The timing of the Holy Father’s death was particularly poignant, remarked Marianne Giovingo of Pewaukee. It’s a reminder, she said, of what the Resurrection truly means in the life of a Christian.
“It’s beautiful that we’ve just come out of Holy Week and into Easter, Good Friday seems like that’s the end and we mourn with Jesus in the tomb, and three days later, he rises,” Giovingo said. “And so, the death of Pope Francis, though filled with sorrow (for) the man, (for) what he taught, (for) the legacy that he left — we can take great hope in knowing that then the life of Christ doesn’t end. We come and gather at the altar to know then that the life of Jesus lives on in his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity which we receive — and we’re sent out. And Pope Francis taught us to go out. Don’t just remain in church — go out and be that living presence of Christ.”
“Do we believe?”
Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob presided at the Mass, joined by Archbishop Emeritus Jerome E. Listecki and priests and deacons from throughout the archdiocese.
Auxiliary Bishops James T. Schuermann and Jeffrey R. Haines were unable to attend due to longstanding commitments to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Charles Borromeo in Milwaukee and St. James in Mukwonago, respectively.
Music was performed by the Memorial Mass Choir, which included members of the Archdiocesan Liturgical Choir, the Cathedral Choir, Sacra Nova Chorale and invited musical performers.
During Pope Francis’ tenure, he reiterated again and again his conviction that the church is to be a home for everyone, Archbishop Grob said during his homily.
“He envisioned that the Church should be a source of care and healing for the problems people face — a ‘field hospital,’ to use his words. And he called for the Church’s ministers to smell like the sheep — strangely novel to some and a tad threatening to others.”
Pope Francis was a leader who was “always eager to draw close to everyone … especially those who found themselves in the margins of life, whatever that might mean in a given situation,” Archbishop Grob said.
Now, he concluded, we are left to “ponder an earthly life complete,” and in going forward without Pope Francis, the faithful are called to contemplate the words of Christ to Martha in John’s Gospel account of the resurrection of Lazarus:
“Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this’” (John 11:25-26)
“Do you believe this?” said the archbishop, reiterating Christ’s question to Martha to those present at the Mass. “Do we believe that there is something more to this life than just appearances?”
Pope Francis made it clear what he believed, Archbishop Grob said. “This very same question is put to you with me. What do we believe? The earthly life of Francis is done. Ours must continue to play out. So, what will it be? Do you believe?”
