April 22: The Holy Father / El Santo Padre

In this time of mourning, our prayer is that all of us in the Church will honor Pope Francis’ legacy by remembering that he called us to urgent tasks that are still not finished:

We must continue our work of serving the poor, the migrant, and all who are forgotten on society’s “peripheries.”

We must persevere in caring for our common home, which is the earth, and in building a world that respects the sanctity and dignity of all human life and the Creator’s desire that we live in peace and fraternity as one human family.

And we must evangelize, spreading the joy of the Gospel as missionary disciples, accompanying our brothers and sisters and helping them to find in Jesus the happiness and love that every human heart longs for.

Above all, we must deepen our own love for Jesus and our commitment to seeking His holiness and reflecting His mercy and love in our daily lives.

The Vatican has announced that the Holy Father’s Funeral Mass will take place this Saturday, April 26, at 10am Roman time, 1am our time. After the Mass, his casket will be taken to the Church of St. Mary Major, also in Rome, at his request.

Nos unimos a la familia de la Iglesia y a los fieles de todo el mundo en oración por el eterno descanso del alma del Papa Francisco: “Oh Dios, que en tu inefable providencia quisiste que tu siervo Francisco fuera contado entre los sumos sacerdotes; concédenos, te suplicamos, que él, quien en la tierra ocupó el lugar de tu Hijo Unigénito, sea unido para siempre a la compañía de tus santos. Por el mismo Jesucristo, tu Hijo, que vive y reina contigo en la unidad del Espíritu Santo, Dios, por los siglos de los siglos. Amén. Concédele, Señor, el descanso eterno al Papa Francisco. Y brille para él la luz perpetua.”

La Oficina de Celebraciones Litúrgicas del Vaticano ha anunciado que el funeral del Papa Francisco tendrá lugar el sábado 26 de abril a las 10am (hora en Roma) en la Plaza de San Pedro. Tras la Misa, se realizarán los ritos finales de la Última comendación.  Luego, los restos del Papa serán enterrados en la Basílica de Santa María la Mayor, cómo era su deseo.