Last week, Pope Francis — who died on Monday — visited people incarcerated in Rome’s Regina Coeli prison as he did every year of his papacy for Holy Thursday. “I want to be close to you. I pray for you and your families,” he told the inmates. On Sunday, unable to deliver his homily during Easter Mass or his “Urbi et Orbi” message because of poor health, he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to wish the crowds a happy Easter before being escorted through the square.

Pope Francis guided the Church through various challenges over his twelve years as pontiff, occasionally stumbling along the way, reminding us that he, too, was human. “I am a sinner, but I trust in the infinite mercy and patience of our Lord Jesus Christ,” he once remarked. He was adamant that all — “todos, todos, todos” – are welcome in the Catholic Church, and he promoted a culture of encounter, a culture of being with and consequently moved by people with different experiences, perspectives, and viewpoints. He sought to care for people who suffer, and reminded us Catholics that we, as followers of Christ, must do the same. He believed that the Church ought to resemble a field hospital, an entity for healing, and that its shepherds should smell of sheep.

Pope Francis regularly addressed non-Christians, too, such as through “Laudato Si’,” his 2015 encyclical on the urgent need to care for all creation. He warned about “the globalization of indifference,” and on Easter Sunday, hours before he died, said “I would like all of us to hope anew and to revive our trust in others, including those who are different than ourselves, or who come from distant lands, bringing unfamiliar customs, ways of life and ideas! For all of us are children of God!” He dedicated his suffering to the Lord, “for peace in the world and for fraternity among peoples.” 

Here at the College, we are finding ways to remember Pope Francis. Students rang the bells of Thompson Memorial Chapel 88 times on Monday evening (one for each year of his life), while others gathered to pray the Rosary and started a novena for the repose of his soul. In a statement released Tuesday morning the Williams Catholic Board wrote, “As we mourn his death, we invite the Williams community to reflect on what was in his prayers as he departed… As he taught us throughout the years, the answer lies in the community and not the individual. No matter what your faith is, we hope you will join us in the world he envisioned, one grounded in mercy and compassion.”

I am sure that many of us have our own favorite moments or thoughts about Pope Francis’ papacy. If you’d like to share them with me, please reach out or stop by my office (Paresky 205). In this season of Easter where we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, let’s heed Pope Francis’ invitation to be “pilgrims of hope” for as he wrote in his final address, “Love has triumphed over hatred, light over darkness and truth over falsehood. Forgiveness has triumphed over revenge. Evil has not disappeared from history; it will remain until the end, but it no longer has the upper hand; it no longer has power over those who accept the grace of this day.”

Bridget Power is the College’s Catholic Chaplain.