Canisius Holds Remembrance Service for Pope Francis

By: Andrew Nowel, Contributor 

Early Monday morning at the Vatican in Italy, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, better known as Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic church, was pronounced dead at the age of 88.

 He had been ill for weeks, but made an appearance on Easter, where he seemed in good spirits. 4217 miles away in Buffalo, the Canisius community came together to remember the man whose wisdom led Catholics around the world for over 12 years.

Bergoglio became Pope Francis on March 19, 2013, where he began to lead the church, advocating for the environment as God’s creation. In 2015, Pope Francis traveled to the United States to speak to Congress and brought a “spirit of cooperation” that many lawmakers echoed after meeting the Pope. 

Cooperation was always a challenge for Pope Francis as he tried to show world leaders how to lead and be a servant to the people. His message was always about being a servant, not a leader.

At the noon Mass on Monday, Fr. Fred Betti and the entire Canisius community came together to remember Pope Francis. After a homily about the countless messages of Pope Francis delivered by Fr. Betti, candles were lit and the flames were passed from person to person signifying the light of the world that Pope Francis brought to our world. The Prayers of the Faithful were read after this with each prayer being part of a message that Pope Francis exemplified in his life.

Students, faculty and staff all attended the service. President Steve Stoute and his family were in attendance as well as Channel 2 and Channel 4. The Easter setup of the chapel gave an even better perspective of the beauty of God’s creation and made it perfect for the beautiful day and week outside the doors of the chapel. Fr. Betti remembers a particular Pope Francis message that stuck with him.

“Pope Francis said that ‘a Shepherd must embrace the smell of his sheep’ which showed me how he embraced every single person in incredibly powerful ways as he met every brother or sister no matter who they were,” said Fr. Betti after the service. “He gave us here at Canisius an authentic model of how to be a person for and with others, especially those most in need.”

Pope Francis washed the feet of prisoners, which Fr. Betti says really exemplifies his message.

“He gave us a vision of an inclusive faith community,” said Fr. Betti. “He taught us about mercy, love and hope. Our biggest challenge as a faith community is to push forward his agenda: to let the Holy Spirit guide us to implement all that he taught us.”

Pope Francis lived a life that everyone should follow – he walked often alongside God in good times and bad. When times are tough, give it to God, Pope Francis often cited. Just like the poem “Footprints in the Sand” says, “when you only see one set of footprints, it was then I carried you.”