Pope Francis, who died April 21, was remembered as a pope for the regular people.
The Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito, Bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach County, called the pope “a man of tremendous hope, which he lived to the end, and which provided joy to all of us.”
On April 23, Bishop Barbarito spoke at a Mass of Remembrance and Prayer for Pope Francis at the Cathedral of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Palm Beach Gardens. At the cathedral's Sunday masses on April 27, its bells tolled 88 times to mark each year of the pontiff's life.
St. Vincent Ferrer Church in Delray Beach had a memorial Mass for the pope on April 25 and St. Joan of Arc Church in Boca Raton on April 27. The Rev. Nestor Rodriquez, preparing for the Mass at St. Joan's, wrote that Pope Francis “was a holy and humble shepherd—faithful, courageous, and full of compassion."
During the Mass, a trumpet and choir performed hymns including “Ave Maria,” and in his homily, Pastor Rodriguez reminded more than 700 faithful congregants of Pope Francis' tender love for the least among us, and how he once said, “My name is Mercy.”
— Janis Fontaine
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