From the desk of the pastor for April 27, 2025

On this Divine Mercy Sunday, we pray for God’s eternal mercy to rest Pope Francis in perpetual light. We will go over what happens during this official time of mourning his death before touching upon when a conclave will happen. Every time one of the faithful passes on is an invitation to hope for Heaven.

As of the writing of this article, we do not have a set date for the funeral mass. I will have offered a private Mass on Tuesday, April 22nd for his soul. That Mass would have been for the Tuesday of the Easter Octave as memorial masses for the pope are not allowed until Monday, April 28th - the Octave of Easter takes precedence. We have entered, however, into a nine days period of mourning called the “Novemdiales” (Novem=nine, diales=days). Some churches will have black bunting on their doors indicating this time of mourning.

We should say extra prayers every day for Pope Francis’s soul during the Novemdiales. Traditionally, an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be are said. Of course, the rosary and liturgy of the hours can also be offered for this intention as well.

Within the next three weeks a conclave of the Cardinals will commence to choose Pope Francis’s successor. Websites already have biographies of the most likely Cardinals to be elected. The process of the conclave is designed to eliminate all campaigning and seeking of this office. Much speculation will now happen about who it will be. We should pray for the Cardinals that God enlighten their minds and keep their hearts.

Some might wonder why we pray for the Pope, or for that matter, why pray for anyone who has died. When we pray for the dead, we help to remit their temporal punishment and accompany them spiritually to the Divine Tribunal. Temporal punishment here refers to the debt we have in justice from the effects of our sins. The effects of sin remain upon the soul till the individual cooperates with God for their removal. In other words, we need not only the remission of the eternal punishment of the sins but also an inward healing of the soul. Upon death we can no longer change - life has stopped after all - and we rely on the prayers and merits of others for this restitution. We can also understand this process as a spiritual accompaniment to God that occurs outside of time as we know it.

Of course, the saints have entered Heaven and no longer need these prayers. When we offer prayers for those already in Paradise, we merit for ourselves and others an increase in God’s life. No act is ever wasted in the economy of grace. Many will be in need of solace and comfort, and God will see to it that our prayers aid Pope Francis and all who mourn his passing. God rest and keep him. Amen.

In His Sacred Heart,
Fr. John