As Catholics around the world mourn over Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday, local Catholics — clergy and laity alike — have offered reflections on the pontiff’s life and his influence on their ministry.
On the Peripheries
Within hours of his death, the news had travelled around the world and into the peripheries of society, where the Holy Father frequently asked the church to be present.
By noon, word had reached the Cathedral of the Assumption’s Sandefur Dining Hall, where volunteers were busy preparing sandwiches and soup, and hungry individuals lined up in the alley awaiting the meal.
“They said Pope Francis died today,” said a man waiting in line along what’s known as Bologna Alley.
Inside, Milton Hettinger, a volunteer at the dining hall, said he was doing his morning meditation when his phone alerted him to the pope’s death.
“I said, ‘Wait a minute. He was just talking to his people yesterday.’ He got to say goodbye to us,” said Hettinger, trying to hold back tears.
On Easter Sunday, April 20, Pope Francis made a surprise visit to St. Peter’s Square, rolling through the gathered crowds in the popemobile, offering his characteristic smile, waving and greeting his visitors.
Hettinger said he feels honored to serve lunch to people in need and that doing so is what the pope would want.
“We’re here doing what he wants us to do,” said Hettinger. “Pope Francis was a fantastic man.”
Echoing Pope Francis, he added, “When it comes to the homeless, listen to their story. When you sit down and listen, it’s amazing” what you hear.
Eileen Brown, another volunteer, said the news of the pope’s death shocked her.
“I was very saddened. I found him to be an extraordinary man, as humble as any religious person could be. He loved the common person very much,” Brown said. “It was very symbolic that he died on the Day of the Angels. He is with the angels.”
The day after Easter Sunday is known as the “Monday of the Angels” or “Day of the Angels.” It commemorates the women’s encounter with the angels at Jesus’ empty tomb.
Cheri Hill, another volunteer, said, “It was a beautiful miracle that he made an appearance yesterday on the holiest of days. It gives me chills,” she said.
Volunteer Lelia Sublett said she woke up early Sunday morning to watch the Easter celebration at the Vatican.
“That was very special to me. He was the people’s pope,” she said.
In the Pews
As the dining hall volunteers reflected on Pope Francis’ death, others did, too, by attending noon Mass at the Cathedral.
Father Joseph Graffis celebrated the Mass, telling the small congregation, “We gather with some sadness as well as some joy. What a great time to go be with the Lord. It was fitting. … He goes out into the crowd, waves at them, gives his blessing. What a way to go,” said Father Graffis.
Pope Francis, said Father Graffis, was a “great man in many ways.”
Those attending the Mass also took notice of the timing of the pope’s death.
Russ Read, a member of Holy Trinity Church, said the news of the pope’s death filled him with sadness and gratitude.
“It’s a wondrous day that the Lord took him after he got to speak to his people on Easter,” said Read. “I think it’s no coincidence that God allowed him another day. This is the beginning of his eternal life with the Father.”
Read said Pope Francis was “very generous” with his prayers and his teachings.
“What he did the most is that he showed everyone what charity is and how we should act towards everyone,” he said.
Others who attended the noon Mass echoed that sentiment.
Carolyn Miles, a member of the cathedral, said, “He was a wonderful pontiff. He was a pope for the people.”
The pope’s care for the poor and vulnerable is what she will remember the most, she noted.
Sam Corbett, also a member of the cathedral, said when it comes to the pope’s teachings, he felt like they were “kindred spirits.”
“He was focused on helping the poor worldwide. He was very inclusive, encouraging folks to continue to be engaged with the church,” Corbett said.
On Human Dignity
Sister of Charity of Nazareth Paris Slapikas, who serves people in need through Catholic Charities’ Sister Visitor Center, said she is feeling both a sense of gratitude and a sense of loss.
“I guess I just feel such a tremendous sense of gratitude for Pope Francis and for what he has done for our church and our world. We are at a place in history where we need people like Pope Francis,” Sister Slapikas said.
“Pope Francis has been such an instrumental leader in speaking on behalf of marginalized groups, has been someone who has been a wonderful voice for those on the margins, particularly at a point in time when there has been such a sense of division, both within our church, but particularly within our world.”
Sister Slapikas said the gift Pope Francis left for Catholics in the U.S. and worldwide is his emphasis on human dignity.
“His message of human dignity passes all faith traditions. People from all over the world resonate with him as a leader, his pastoral presence,” she said.
Father Mike Tobin, vicar for Hispanic ministry, said the pope’s emphasis on human dignity for all inspires his work with migrants.
The pope’s July 2013 visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa “inspired me to redouble my efforts to serve those in danger, like migrants,” he said. “Pope Francis took a simple gesture of appearing at the crossroads of hope and disaster. He came when he heard reports of the Africans fleeing economic collapses, making perilous, life-endangering journeys” to the island, which is a common entry point for migrants to Europe.
“Francis called upon Italy and Europe to recognize its wealth and economic power and bear some responsibility for these migrants. Clearly, I saw the parallel between these African refugees and the migrants appealing to enter the United States,” he said.
Father Tobin is pastor of St. Luke Church and St. Rita Church, where he serves congregations of Hispanic and Latino Catholics.
At the time of the pope’s trip to Lampedusa, Father Tobin was pastor of Annunciation Church in Shelbyville, Ky., which also has a large immigrant community. He said the trip inspired him to visit Guatemala, which many of his parishioners had fled.
“The living conditions in these areas of Guatemala tested my openness to ‘missionary ministry’ to my personal limit,” he said. “Meeting survivors of the government’s war on the indigenas (indigenous) people made me confront violence committed by authorities against the poor, including church ministers, like an auxiliary bishop who was assassinated. I had never walked in the footsteps of prophets like these. It humbled me to see Christianity put into practice at the cost of death.”
Papal Encounters
Father Frederick Klotter, pastor of the Cathedral and a member of the Priests’ Council, said he met the pope on two occasions and remembers the warmth the pope exuded. His first meeting was shortly after Pope Francis’ 2013 election.
“It was like sitting with a grandfather. I couldn’t get over how comfortable it felt,” he said.
His second meeting in 2019 was just as comfortable. He was in a small audience on that occasion. “It was a little bit overwhelming to realize I was with him in this atmosphere. I never believed I’d be with him in such a small group. I felt a lot of warmth coming from him,” Father Klotter said.
Tania Vergara Gongora, a young adult member of St. Bernadette Church in Prospect, Ky., who met Pope Francis in October of 2022, also recalls him as grandfatherly.
Gongora, a senior at Ballard High School at the time, and Destiny Morris, a senior at Mercy Academy at the time, traveled to Rome with a delegation of young people.
“It was an experience out of this world. I felt nothing but peace and tranquility,” Gongora said during a recent interview. “It felt like talking to my grandfather, who’d passed away a couple of years earlier during Covid. It was a gift from God.”
Pope Francis told them to be joyful and not to lose that joy, Gongora recalled. Since the meeting, she said, she’s taken every opportunity to find joy and to spread joy to others. Sometimes that joy looks like “taking a moment in tough times to breathe and remember God is in control, and we are just here to play a simple role in the grandiose story he’s written for us,” she said.
Morris, a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, said meeting the pope was an experience she’ll carry with her forever. She felt “nervous and a little intimidated” at first, she recalled.
“I expected the moment to feel formal or even overwhelming. But as soon as I started talking to him, all those nerves began to fade away. He just kept smiling at me with such genuine warmth and kindness, and that smile made me feel at ease,” Morris said. “In that moment, I felt truly seen — not just by him, but by the Church as a whole. It reminded me that my voice, my story, and my presence matter. As a young person navigating faith and identity, that was incredibly affirming.”
Morris said the pope’s message to be joyful has guided her since that meeting, too. Living with joy means “being a source of light” and “choosing to be hopeful in uncertain situations,” she said.
Morris noted that she tries to lead with joy.
“It’s not always easy, but I remind myself that joy is a gift meant to be shared. Even when things feel heavy, I try to uplift others and bring warmth into the spaces I’m in, just like his words inspired me to do,” she said.
Record staff Olivia Castlen and Marnie McAllister contributed to this story.
