‘I will miss this man’
HUNTERSVILLE — With song, Scripture and prayer, more than 500 people honored the memory of Pope Francis Wednesday night at the Diocese of Charlotte’s Mass for the repose of his soul, celebrated by Bishop Michael Martin at St. Mark Church.
“We come here tonight with Easter joy and heavy hearts, all at the same time, recognizing that a great spiritual leader has passed from our midst,” Bishop Martin said at the start of the Mass. Yet, “in this Easter season, we celebrate the promise that is made to each and every one of us as God’s children, that we too will share eternal life with Him.”
In his homily, Bishop Martin said it was important to remember the full scope of Pope Francis’ life, not just his struggles with illness in his final months and his memorable last “Urbi et Orbi” blessing on Easter Sunday. He urged the congregation to reflect on each step, from his childhood to his life as a young man and a young priest, that led to him becoming the leader of the world’s Catholics.
At one point, the bishop confided his own grief over the loss of the Holy Father, saying his heart was heavy.
“I will miss this man,” he said simply.
Bishop Martin said the fact Pope Francis spent 38 days in the hospital struggling with pneumonia was a moving symbol of one of the signature phrases of his papacy.
“Pope Francis calls the Church to be a field hospital…and he calls all of us to be the doctors, the nurses, the attendants,” he said, to “bring life, and health and holiness” to others. “He calls us to go out into the world, where the broken and the bruised and the troubled and the neglected are hurting, and to not limit our church to these walls, but rather, go out and be that field hospital, to be present for a broken world.”
He also reminded people that despite his weakened condition, the pope stepped out into the “field hospital,” “bringing the message of Easter joy to a broken world.”
The pope’s example should challenge and inspire us, he said. “May we go forth from here with hearts filled with love, hearts filled with hope, hearts filled with faith to bring that message to the world – a message that we saw on full display the day before our Holy Father received his eternal reward.”
Music for the Mass included hymns in English and Spanish. The liturgy opened with “Pilgrims of Hope,” the official hymn for this Jubilee Year that Pope Francis declared.
Two songs were in Spanish, “Entre Tus Manos” (“Into Your Hands”), selected because it is a popular song among Hispanic Catholics and describes a soul surrendering to the Lord, said Manuel “Manny” Mora, St. Mark’s music director. The other Spanish hymn, “Alma Misionera” (“Missionary Song”), reflects the pope’s call to serve those in need.
A memento of Pope Francis was on display at the front of the church. Before a photo of the pope draped in black bunting, a single candle flickered near a white hat called a zucchetto that Pope Francis once wore. The story behind the zucchetto is that a nun visited Rome and bought a souvenir replica of it, then waved it at Pope Francis as he passed by in the popemobile.
He stopped and exchanged his own hat for the souvenir one. The nun later passed the hat on to one of the Daughters of the Virgin Mother who serve at St. Mark Parish.
After Mass, many people approached the altar to pray before the pope’s photo. One woman and her daughter approached the altar on their knees. Others took pictures of the photo among the array of flowers.
Parishioner Janet Lang fought back tears as she stared at the picture. “He was pope of the people, and he touched all of our hearts,” she said. “He did so much for the world.”
Phillip and Bailey Burcal attended the Mass with their three children: James, 10, Elizabeth, 7, and Matthew, 4. Bailey said they wanted to impress on them what Pope Francis had done for the Church and for the world. The kids recalled their own papal memories. James reflected on Pope Francis’ last visit to St. Peter’s Square on Easter and Emily commented on his commitment to service.
“We wanted to come celebrate the life of the pope as a family,” Bailey said. “The thing I will remember about him is his heart of service towards the Church and all the people of the world, and how he led so many of the marginalized back to the Church.”
— Christina Lee Knauss. Photos by Troy C. Hull and Amy Burger.
Read more:
- Pope Francis has died at 88
- Pope Francis: A call to listen and respond in love
- Two bishops and diocese unite in prayer for Pope Francis
- Words of prayer, comfort offered after news of pope’s death
- Bishop Martin, others reflect on the life and legacy of Pope Francis
A reflection from Bishop Michael Martin, OFM Conv.
I was appointed by Pope Francis as the fifth Bishop of Charlotte in April of 2024, so it is safe to say that he holds a special place in my life and in my heart.
I recall his election in 2013 and am embarrassed to admit that as a Franciscan I felt a bit conflicted that a Jesuit pope would take the name “Francis”! I soon learned, however, that God had given His Church a new “Francis” who would similarly “rebuild the Church” as did the Poor Man of Assisi eight centuries earlier. Bringing to the world stage a perspective from the southern hemisphere that is often not commensurate with its geographic size, Pope Francis helped us all to see with a new appreciation the forgotten and those on the margins.
His teachings on the joy of the Gospel (“Evangelii Gaudium”) and the interdependence of all of God’s creation (“Laudato Si’”) helped us to ask ourselves if we had individually and collectively taken some essential realities of our lives for granted. As believers in the Good News, are our lives really reflecting the goodness that Jesus came to share with us – such that others are drawn to the difference of our lives that only God’s grace can reflect? Similarly, have we been taking for granted that humanity is created in the image and likeness of God? And do we recognize that grants all of us a dignity that necessitates we respond in love to everyone, and that we should hold a special concern for the wellbeing of all of creation, especially the poorest? These encyclicals, as well as others of his pontificate, have highlighted dimensions of life and faith that can often be overlooked.
Perhaps Pope Francis’ greatest gift to the Church and the world is probably the one that is most misunderstood. Calling the faithful to greater “synodality” is by far, in my estimation, the most responsive act to the greatest need in our Church and our world in this day and age. I remember somewhat mockingly commenting in the early days of the Synod: “Only the Catholic Church would hold a synod on synodality!” So trapped in my own endeavors and shackled by the need to “do something” about the real needs of our day, I was unable to see the power of listening. Thankfully, Pope Francis, inspired by the Holy Spirit, called us all to take time to do just that. The American male in me wanted to see proactive steps, and the Argentinian Jesuit was inviting me (and us) to experience the power of listening. He understood better than me the line in the Peace Prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi that it is better to understand than to be understood. Oh, that our world would embrace this most impactful dimension of Pope Francis’ legacy.
I will long cherish my brief personal encounter with Pope Francis when I met him at the Vatican last September. He exuded warmth and a playful spirit that reminded me a bit of my grandfathers (minus a cigar). Maybe that is what I wanted to see in this man who had changed my life so dramatically with the whisp of his pen. But I believe that time will show – as has been the case with the other five pontiffs of my lifetime and so many more before that – how God brings the right person for the right moment.
May we all live each moment with that hope – trusting that if God wills, and we say yes, we too can be a bridge (pons, pontis) between heaven and earth that should be the hallmark of every pontiff.
— Bishop Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv., leads the Diocese of Charlotte.
Read more:
- Pope Francis has died at 88
- Bishop Martin recalls life and legacy of Pope Francis in Holy Mass
- Two bishops and diocese unite in prayer for Pope Francis
- Words of prayer, comfort offered after news of pope’s death
- Bishop Martin, others reflect on the life and legacy of Pope Francis