Over two thousand of the faithful gathered on April 27 at Christ Cathedral to celebrate the Divine Mercy Mass for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. Fr. Angelos Sebastian, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the Diocese of Orange, described the Pope as a “missionary of mercy,” echoing the Holy Father’s message of hope and forgiveness, urging the congregation never to never stop seeking God’s mercy.
PHOTOS BY IAN TRAN/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Both levels of the cathedral were nearly filled to capacity for the Divine Mercy Mass which is always celebrated on the Sunday following Easter Sunday.
Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope in the history of the Catholic Church and first from the Americas, died on April 21 at age 88 after having a stroke.
“Pope Francis continually called us to be missionaries of mercy,” Fr. Angelos said. “Not to sit back and hoard the mercy we have received, but to go forth and be instruments of healing in our own broken world.”
Fr. Angelos also emphasized the Holy Father’s profound level of humility, reiterating the Pope’s assertion that it is the responsibility of Christians to care for the poor and marginalized members of society.
“Mercy is the beating heart of the gospel,” Fr. Angelos said. “It is Jesus stooping to touch the eyes of the blind, to cleanse the leper, to call the tax collector from his booth, to forgive the woman caught in sin.”
Fr. Angelos recalled the words of Pope Francis, who proclaimed, “‘The Church must be a field hospital after battle. Heal the wounds. Heal the wounds. Heal the wounds.’”
He also mentioned Pope Francis’ teaching that “mercy is always greater than any sin and no one can place limits on the love of God who is ever ready to forgive us his children.”
Fr. Christopher Smith, rector emeritus of Christ Cathedral, and one of several con-celebrants for the Mass, was pleased to see the cathedral filled for the second week in a row.
The cathedral was also near capacity for Easter services on April 20, Fr. Christopher said.
“I thought it was fabulous,” Fr. Christopher said of the Mass and Fr. Angelos’ homily. “It was very much in the spirit of Pope Francis. And how appropriate to mention mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday. And mercy was quite the theme for Francis.”
While most of the faithful attended the Mass to honor Pope Francis, several didn’t realize the pope was to be celebrated until seeing his portrait near the altar and listening to Fr. Angelos’ homily.
Kimberly Jetton of Cerritos doesn’t normally attend Mass at Christ Cathedral but came to the April 27 service to show the cathedral to a friend visiting from out of town, who had never been to the iconic house of worship before.
“The service was absolutely beautiful,” Jetton said. “To see all the priests and the con-celebrants up there was just beautiful.”
Jetton’s friend, Amanda Ragone, who was visiting from Henderson, Nevada, also said the number of con-celebrants was inspiring.
“To see all the people, the different cultures, it’s really amazing,” Ragone said.
Parker Rill attended the Mass with his girlfriend, who was visiting from Hawaii.
“We went to a few churches in San Diego yesterday and saw a few memorials for the Pope but this was definitely super beautiful to see this Mass,” Rill said. “The music’s always beautiful and the homily was a lovely tribute to Pope Francis.”
Philip Catlett usually attends Mass at St. Norbert Catholic Church in Orange but was invited to the cathedral by his daughter.
“He left a legacy of love,” Catlett said of Pope Francis. “He was just a really great man.”
In his homily, Fr. Angelos also touched on Pope Francis’ commitment to safeguarding the beauty of creation, as inspired by his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi.
Pope Francis’ leadership was about service and loving communion with the people of God, rather than power and privilege, Fr. Angelos said.
“Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has given the world some of the most beautiful and urgent messages of our time,” Fr. Angelos said. “He has called us to be a Church that goes forth, not one content behind the closed doors, but a Church that seeks the lost, embraces the wounded and becomes a field hospital after battle.”