In remembrance of those individuals served by Catholic Cemeteries & Funeral Homes in March 2024
Statement on Arizona Supreme Court Ruling
In light of the Arizona Supreme Court’s ruling on Tuesday, upholding Arizona’s pre-Roe abortion ban in the state of Arizona, the Bishops of the Arizona Catholic Conference (ACC) released a statement. The Arizona Catholic Conference is the public policy agency for the Diocese of Gallup, the Diocese of Phoenix, and the Diocese of Tucson. Bishops from each of these dioceses comprise the Board of Directors of the ACC.
CLICK HERE TO READ ACC STATEMENT:
Happiness does not come from chasing pleasure or power, pope says
By Carol Glatz, OSV News
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pursuing the path of pleasure and power does not lead to happiness, Pope Francis said.
“It is a road that at first sight seems pleasurable, but which does not satiate the heart. It is not in this way that one ‘has life,'” the pope said April 7 before leading the midday recitation of the “Regina Coeli” prayer.
Greeting some 15,000 visitors in St. Peter’s Square, the pope said, “We all want to have life, but there are various ways of having it.”
For example, he said, “there are those who reduce existence to a frenetic race to enjoy and possess many things: to eat and drink, to enjoy themselves, to accumulate money and objects, to feel strong and new emotions, and so on.”
At first, these pursuits seem to bring great pleasure, he said. However, “many aspects of existence remain unanswered, such as love (and) the inevitable experiences of pain, of limitations and of death. And then the dream we all have in common remains unfulfilled: the hope of living forever, of being loved without limit.”
The fullness of life, “to which every one of us is called, is realized in Jesus: it is he who gives us this fullness of life,” the pope said.
With Jesus, life always wins, and death and sin are defeated, he said. His gift of his Spirit gives his disciples new life, “imbued with joy, love and hope.”
Pope Francis asked the faithful to ask themselves: “Do I believe in the power of the resurrection of Jesus; do I believe that Jesus is risen?” and “Do I let myself be prompted by him to love my brothers and sisters, and to hope every day?”
The way to “have life” every day, he said, is to “fix one’s eyes on the crucified and risen Jesus, encountering him in the sacraments and in prayer, recognizing that he is present, believing in him, letting oneself be touched by his grace and guided by his example, experiencing the joy of loving like him.”
NEWS BRIEF: Sr. Raphael Quinn awarded Papal medal
On Tuesday morning, Sr. Raphael Quinn, I.B.V.M., was awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal in recognition for her faithful service to the Church in Catholic Education. The presentation took place at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix following Mass that was celebrated by Bishop John Dolan. She has more than 60 years in education, 51 years as the principal of St. Simon and Jude Catholic School.
“She is a woman of incredible strength, generosity and impeccable character,” said Dr. Maria Chavira, chancellor and vice moderator of the curia for the Diocese of Phoenix.
The Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medal is bestowed for distinguished service to the Church by the Holy Father. Sr. Quinn is the third recipient of this medal in the Diocese of Phoenix; the first was Mrs. MaryBeth Mueller, past Superintendent of Schools and the second was Sr. Joan Fitzgerald, BVM, president of Xavier College Preparatory in Phoenix. Both joined Bishop Dolan to pin Sr. Quinn with the medal.
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Pray for the ‘grace’ of tears of compassion, pope says
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Weeping Madonna of Syracuse is a sign that Mary not only cries because of people’s pain, but she also cries to soften the hearts of other believers so that they will help, Pope Francis said.
“Through the tears of the Blessed Virgin, the Lord wants to soften our hearts, which at times have dried up in indifference and hardened in selfishness,” the pope said April 6 during a meeting with members of the St. Angela Merici Foundation in Syracuse, Italy.
“The Lord wants to make our consciences sensitive, so that we let ourselves be touched by the pain of our brothers and sisters and to move us to compassion for them, committing ourselves to lifting them up, lifting them up, accompanying them,” the pope said.
The foundation runs a hospital, a home for the elderly and rehabilitation centers in Sicily, drawing inspiration from the Weeping Madonna of Syracuse, a plaster image of Mary that began weeping in 1953. After an investigation, local church authorities said there was no natural explanation for what happened, and tests on the liquid determined they had the same composition as human tears do.
Pope Francis encouraged foundation members and the staff of the foundation’s facilities to carry out their work with professionalism and a spirit of sacrifice, expressing “in concrete gestures the tears wept by the Virgin Mary and, at the same time, her maternal desire to dry her children’s tears.”
“I ask for a grace for you, which is the most important of all: the grace to know how to be moved, the capacity to cry with those who cry,” the pope told them.
The “worst evils of our society,” he said, are “the indifference, the individualism that closes us off from the fate of those around us, and the anesthesia of the heart that no longer moves us when faced with the dramas of daily life.”
“Please,” Pope Francis said, “do not be ashamed to weep, to feel emotion for those who suffer; do not spare yourselves in exercising compassion for those who are fragile, because Jesus is present in these people.”
Diocese’s all-night Eucharistic Adoration: A night with Jesus – body and blood
PHOENIX – Easing the suffering of the impoverished, preservation of life, an end to racism and more men and women entering religious service.
These were a sample of the petitions lifted up to God during a night of intimacy with Jesus Christ through His precious Body and Blood.
An all-night Adoration at St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix, co-hosted by the Diocese of Phoenix allowed participants to pray before the Blessed Sacrament for God’s intervention, guidance and mercy across more than a half dozen areas of request, which also included the Filipino and Vietnamese communities, and for the faithful to be bold in sharing God’s message of redemption through His Son’s death and Resurrection.
Participants in The Road to Emmaus: A Eucharistic Encounter heard homilies, sang hymns, prayed and listened to Scripture readings during the nearly 16 hours, which lasted from 5 p.m. Saturday through Sunday’s 7a.m. Mass.
The event took participants into Divine Mercy Sunday, the Sunday after Easter. On this day, the faithful celebrate God’s mercy and love manifested in His Passion, death and Resurrection and communicated through the Eucharist.
While God is both omnipresent and omniscient — meaning we can pray to Him anytime, anywhere — Adoration allows worshippers to connect in a unique way with Jesus — in body, blood, soul, and divinity — through the Eucharist.
“It is in the Eucharist that we can see Jesus, face-to-face, in full splendor,” explained Marina Salvador-Velazquez, the Diocese of Phoenix’s manager of the Office of Respect Life Ministries, who led the 3 a.m. Holy Hour.
“We can contemplate His complete body and blood. We may not see Him with physical eyes, but with our spiritual eyes of faith. It cannot be explained, but He is there.”
The event’s name, The Road to Emmaus, was taken from St. Luke’s Gospel, (Ch 24: 13-35) in which the writer tells of two disciples who are joined by the Risen Christ while walking along on Easter Sunday. It describes how Jesus opens the Scriptures to the at-first unsuspecting pair, who later realize it is the LORD when He breaks bread before them.
‘CHRIST IS HERE’
Bishop John Dolan began the evening Saturday by celebrating 5 p.m. Mass. Noting its timing, as hundreds of sports fans from across the country were gathered in Phoenix for college basketball’s NCAA Final Four men’s championship, the bishop referred to those fans in the neighborhood, watching the games on giant-screen televisions.
He called it a joy to be with the faithful for the all-night adoration.
“In the busyness of life; Christ is here; ‘hidden’ in plain sight. Our focus these next two days is on encountering the living Christ, especially in the Eucharist.”
After Communion, the consecrated host inside the monstrance was placed on the altar, The bishop, joined by priests and other clergy, knelt before the Blessed Sacrament, leading the congregation in a period of Exposition.
Fr. Frankie Cicero, founder of a Catholic evangelistic ministry and the parochial vicar at St. Timothy Parish in Mesa, then delivered a Eucharistic exhortation, reminding worshippers why they came.
“Bringing every single person into a deep and personal relationship with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit” –– permeated Fr. Frankie’s message.
Often waving his arms for emphasis, the onetime bartender who admittedly came to his conversion having much of what the world offers but feeling lonely and broken, urged worshippers to allow God to transform their hearts and lives. Once filled, he said they must share God’s free gift of Eternal Life through Jesus, sometimes stepping out of their comfort zone to do so.
“That’s what this whole event is about. We want to get together as a body and get filled with the Spirit, with the gift of our LORD, Jesus, not so we can just stay here,” he said.
“Every single person needs Jesus. Every single moment of our lives is an opportunity to break our heart open and reveal to people who Jesus is.”
HOLY HOURS
The exhortation flowed right into an hour of bilingual praise and worship.
Accompanied by a soft acoustic guitar, the songs ushered in a series of individual holy hours dedicated to the event’s themes.
The Holy Cross priests, represented by Fr. David Halm, CSC, pastor of St. John Vianney Parish in Goodyear, led the Hour for the Impoverished.
St. John Vianney is among the parishes that hold an individual all-night adoration, on the first Friday of every month.
At 10 p.m., the Crosier Fathers and Brothers led an hour of Taize (pronounciations vary, but common ones include tah-ZAY and teh-ZAY) worship.
Named for an ecumenical community in rural southern France, Taize is a soft, meditative form of candlelight worship including contemplative hymns with and without words and Scripture readings designed to encourage dwelling with Christ’s presence.
At midnight, the focus turned to vocations.
Fr. John Nahrgang, joined Vocations Director, Fr. Kurt Perera.
The Holy Hour Against Racism was led by Fr. Andrew McNair, pastor of St. Josephine Bakhita Mission Parish and leader of the Diocese Office of Black Catholic Ministry.
“I’m so happy the bishop (did) this, not only to pray for this (ending racism), but the needs of the Diocese,” Fr. McNair said prior to the event.
The hour included prayers asking God for healing, unity and the eradication of the sin of racism.
“At end of the day, racism is not only acts against one another but systemic reality, incorporated into our institutions, such as health care, education, employment, law enforcement, and financial institutions,” he explained.
Fr. McNair encouraged Catholics and those under formation to learn and practice the Church’s social teachings on race.
“We have a well-developed social doctrine that is a treasure of the Church, and parishes in some shape and form (should) be incorporating them into their faith-formation program.”
Another broad social arena addressed during the Adoration was the dignity of human life.
From conception to natural death, Salvador-Velazquez said that society honors God by respecting all forms of human life.
“We come to pray for forgiveness and healing for all those wounded by abortion; to ask for peace for those facing death and terminal illness; and for an increase in virtue and an intentional desire to grow in holiness within the Church. We need people on fire for the LORD to promote, advocate and live a culture of life to transform our Church and communities,” she stated.
‘HE WANTS TO MEET US’
But knowing the truth is only part of the battle.
To be effective, Salvador-Velazuez said one must start in prayer.
“We need to seek to be in a closer relationship with God, as He will give us the strength, wisdom, and all the divine graces necessary for our mission. We must be centered in Christ to fight the culture of death. This is how life wins. This is how Jesus fought temptation and conquered death.”
Finding a closer walk with Jesus involves the Holy Spirit, opening one’s eyes and heart to His truth.
During his opening Mass Homily, St. Mary’s Dcn. Billy Chavira noted that the Risen Jesus came to the Apostles, revealing Himself to them as they were locked in the Upper Room in the days after His Crucifixion. Dcn. Chavira said Jesus did not come to interrogate them but to show Himself to them and love them and exhort them to share that love with the world.
“He didn’t ask them any questions (such as), ‘Why did you desert me?’ or ‘Why did you deny me?’” Chavira said. “He said ‘peace.’ In their loneliness and isolation, He meets them.
He meets (the two disciples) on the way to Emmaus. (And) He wants to meet us in the same way.”
St. Mary’s parishioner Jim Kossler, who attended the opening Mass with his wife, Theresa, said the event was a good way to promote an aspect of the faith many, including himself, do not hear much about, and perhaps do not pay enough attention to.
“That’s on me,” he said, adding the relationship is clear between being in communion with God thru the Eucharist and in communion with one another as Christ’s disciples.
“Those three go together: going to Communion, being in communion, community — That’s where we find God,” he said.
Fr. McNair called the all-night adoration “a wonderful initiative.”
“I’m hoping it will be a powerful experience for so many in the Diocese,” he said.
Read Joyce Coronel’s 2018 story on Fr. Frankie Cicero here:
https://www.catholicsun.org/2018/07/20/meet-fr-frankie-cicero/
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At the Intersection of Basketball and Faith, NCAA Final Four elevated by Catholic evangelization initiative
Catholic evangelists shared in the joy of NCAA basketball fans as they gathered in downtown Phoenix from April 5-8 for the Men’s Final Four Fan Festival.
College students, families and hardcore sports fans exuded excitement as they hustled into the Phoenix Convention Center. Standing outside St. Mary’s Basilica were specially trained evangelists from the Diocese of Phoenix who radiated a heightened form of happiness — the Easter joy of the risen Lord Jesus.
As fans looked forward to celebrity athlete appearances and autograph signings, the evangelists proclaimed an elevated invitation — a personal encounter with the risen Christ who not only desires to meet them but to offer his very life for them.
Fr. Aaron Qureshi, associate director and parochial vicar of All Saints Newman Center at Arizona State University, sat behind a portable confessional waiting to give the gift of Christ to anyone who approached.
“This has been a great opportunity,” Fr. Qureshi said. “So often as priests we’re in our parish waiting for people to come to us. This is a chance for us to go out to the people and encounter our world that is hurting — to bring the healing of God into their lives. This is a posture that we as Catholics need to [increasingly] embrace.”
He had a two-hour shift — another priest was scheduled to rotate in after. At times there was a line of people, waiting either to go to confession or entrust to him their prayer intentions. Even those without religious faith know something about a priest and many approached in curiosity to have a spiritual word with him.
“I’ve had some penitents coming for confession kneeling here on the sidewalk. It is an act of faith on their part that radiates outwards to the rest of the people that are walking by,” continued Qureshi.
“My own presence here as well as that of our volunteer evangelists is a sign of our conviction in the resurrection of Jesus Christ — it changes our lives, and we want other people to know about it. The NCAA has its Final Four but we as Catholics have our final four too — death, judgement, Heaven, and Hell. This is a tournament that we want to win. At the end of the day, it’s the only game that really matters.”
In the First Letter of Saint John, John the Apostle writes, “The victory that conquers the world is our faith. Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
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Estrella Reyes experienced firsthand the triumphant ways of God whose plans always surpass our own. She had made the long trip from Maricopa to Phoenix with her mother and children for the Final Four Fan Festival. A twist along the way proved to be Christ’s invitation to discover him in the unexpected.
“I had [been promised] tickets from my work for the Final Four Fan Fest. [When we arrived], I wasn’t able to collect them because they had been taken,” said Reyes.
Disappointed by their bad luck, but still trying to make the most of the day, the family began to explore the downtown area.
“We saw Father outside [hearing] confessions. We saw the tent where they were offering prayer and we said, ‘this is where we are supposed to be!’”
While her children played basketball at a kid-sized hoop set up next to the Diocese of Phoenix tent, Estrella and her mother Elizabeth received the sacrament of reconciliation.
Her oldest daughter could be seen strolling on the sidewalk, examining her conscience as she awaited her turn.
“It’s special when you get to go to confession and receive [the Holy Eucharist] in the same time frame,” Reyes said after learning about the Saturday 5 p.m. Vigil Mass at St. Mary’s Basilica. The family decided to attend both this Mass and part of the all-night eucharistic adoration that followed. That evening, Elizabeth was seen leaving the basilica in tears of gratitude, amazed at how the Lord had turned the tides of their day to run toward his greater designs.
The evangelization team led by Joyce Coronel, Evangelization and Sacramental Life manager for the Diocese of Phoenix, absorbed the joy of the crowds, and exalted it with the Gospel proclamation. They declared the presence of the Paschal Mystery in all things — even basketball.
“We’ve had some really powerful conversations with people,” Coronel said. “We’ve spoken with a few people who are trying to get clean and sober — we’ve prayed for them for freedom in Christ… and explained the peace that you have when your soul is in a state of grace.”
“I invited one gentleman to go to confession and he said, ‘I don’t think so. I am Catholic but I know I can’t go to confession because I’m not ready to change.’ We talked about the cost of discipleship.”
Life is very uncertain — we must be ready spiritually for our own final four, our own endgame. We can be people who exercise every day, take vitamins and eat organic food but still, so many things are not in our control. As they handed out blessed rosaries and crosses, volunteers stressed by their joy that the most essential “game plan” is to be in a state of grace — to be in friendship with Christ.
St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta is known to have said: “Joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.” Volunteer evangelists, smiling and sharing the love of Jesus, had this goal in mind.
“We want to be that welcoming presence and tell people that Jesus came into the world not to condemn it but to save it,” Coronel said. “We have been giving out a prayer card that says, ‘Come on in!’ That’s Jesus: He says, ‘my heart is right here’. Just like He called Zacchaeus up in the tree and Matthew right at the tax table — wherever you are in your life, Jesus is calling you to himself.”
This marked the third street evangelization effort in downtown Phoenix spearheaded by Coronel and her volunteers. Her team had a presence during the Super Bowl hosted by Phoenix in February in 2023 and again during the World Series this past fall.
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‘He’s one of us:’ Bishop Dolan to accompany malades on Lourdes pilgrimage
Bishop John Dolan will make this year’s annual Sovereign Order of Malta Pilgrimage to Lourdes alongside the ill and infirm who will travel with the organization.
“Fantastic. That is awesome,” exclaimed Terra Billingsley, 58, one of three malades from the Diocese of Phoenix who will be with the Order’s Western U.S. Association April 30 thru May 8 at the southern French town in the Pyrenees Mountains. The town includes the grotto where 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous encountered 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1858.
“He will make the pilgrimage even more special,” said Dame Roxanne Schroer, DM, of the Order of Malta, who coordinates the trip for the Diocese of Phoenix malades.
The word is French for an ill or sick person.
“You think of him reverently, (but) he’s one of us,” she said of Bishop Dolan. “The malades are going to love it.”
The pilgrimage will be the bishop’s first to Lourdes. It also will be his first trip with the Order of Malta.
His predecessor, Bishop emeritus Thomas J. Olmsted, also made the pilgrimage with the Order.
“The Knights and Dames of Malta have a long history of assisting those who are struggling with physical health-related issues,” said Bishop Dolan. “And they accompany them to the waters of Lourdes. This is really the buzzword for our Church — ‘accompaniment — what Pope Francis encourages us to do. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, accompanies (us), especially those struggling in life, so it fits very well with my own spirituality,” the bishop stated.
“We are all going to struggle with our health eventually, and the sooner we get about accepting this cross and the pains and the disabilities we might have, and attach that to our spiritual journey with Jesus, the better we will be.”
HELP ‘CARRY THEIR CROSS’
Founded in the 11th century as a military entity to protect and care for religious pilgrims, the Order of Malta’s core mission today is medical and humanitarian projects carried out as a civilian sovereign. The Order is active in 120 countries worldwide. Its Western U.S. Association has been leading pilgrimages to Lourdes for years.
Each malade’s expenses are paid by the Order. They are joined by a caregiver — usually a spouse, family member or friend — who pays his or her own way.
A number of the Order’s Knights and Dames will be there as well, supporting and assisting the malades to ensure their health, safety, and enjoyment.
“My personal goal is to provide, to the best of my ability, comfort; sharing with them, to ease their burden and help them carry their cross,” said Steve Jerome, a Knight with the Order of Malta and a pilgrimage team captain. “Then, I will have made a difference in their life.”
‘DEEPLY HONORED’
It is not unusual for a bishop to accompany the group.
Last year’s pilgrims included Bishop Jaime Soto of the Diocese of Sacramento, Calif.
Western U.S.A. Association Chancellor Timothy Jeffries, KM, said Bishop Dolan will be one of six Western U.S. bishops traveling in 2024.
The Order covers their expenses.
“We’re deeply honored Bishop Dolan will be joining us. We’re certain the pilgrimage will bless him, and he will bless countless many. I am looking forward to him having the blessed opportunity to simply be a priest and minister to the sick and dying,” Jeffries told The Catholic Sun.
Malades are picked on the recommendation of a pastor, priest or lay minister, or a Knight or Dame. The information includes a description of the person’s medical condition. A doctor must confirm the nominee can handle the cross-global flight from Los Angeles to Tarbes, France, which is followed by a 25-minute bus ride to Lourdes.
‘SHE’S CALLING ME’
The malades expressed gratitude, humility and even surprise at their selection.
A patient with multiple myeloma, a cancer that attacks the body’s plasma cells, Billingsley received radiation, immunotherapy, and traditional chemotherapy before finally undergoing a transplant of her own healthy stem cells to replace infected ones. Plasma cells produce a protein that is key to fighting infection by finding and attacking germs, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website.
Still, the St. Paul in Phoenix parishioner felt others more worthy of going.
“There are a lot of people suffering. Why am I getting to go, and they are not?” she wondered.
“I was told, ’You are meant to go. The Blessed Mother wants you there’,” she said.
Fellow malade Lynda Melton had similar thoughts.
Diagnosed last summer with Stage 3 lung cancer, the parish manager of St. Maria Goretti in Scottsdale said her pick was unexpected.
“There are many others in a much more dire position than I,” Melton, 62, said. “I was completely surprised and very humbled to know Our Lady is inviting me. She’s calling me, so I’m going.”
Billingsley and Melton will be traveling with their husbands of 29 and 32 years, respectively. The Billingsleys will celebrate their 30th anniversary the day before they leave.
While in Lourdes, the pilgrims will attend daily Mass at one of several local churches, have their feet washed by Knights and Dames, take part in a candlelight procession, and spend plenty of time in prayer and reflection, among other activities.
They also will make numerous visits to the grotto where Soubirous encountered the Marian apparitions. One of the Masses will be celebrated there.
Patron of the ill, St. Bernadette was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1933.
‘A BETTER PERSON’
The Order also brings thousands of prayer requests from around the world to the grotto, whose waters are said to possess healing qualities.
While physical miracles have been tied sometimes to Lourdes, the Order emphasizes its spiritual takeaways.
A cancer patient nearly 20 years ago and traveling as a malade, Schroer said the disease went into remission for 15 years before returning.
“People get the miracle they need; not necessarily the one they want,” she said.
For Schroer, that turned out to be a profound spiritual recalibration.
“Things that don’t matter do not seem as important anymore,” she explained. “For one thing, you want to be a better person.”
Bishop Dolan, who has traveled to the Holy Land, Rome, England and Peru, said he, too, is anticipating his own experience even as he walks with the malades.
“I always come away with a deeper and more profound connection with God and with God’s people,” he said of his past pilgrimages. “I’m not sure how that will unfold (in Lourdes), but I do know that it will be a life-changing experience.”
Pope prays people will experience, share Easter joy
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Like the women disciples who discovered Jesus had risen from the dead and ran to tell the others, Christians should be filled with such joy at Easter that they cannot help sharing it with others, Pope Francis said.
“The resurrection of Jesus is not just wonderful news or the happy ending of a story, but something that changes our lives completely and forever,” the pope said April 1 as he led the midday recitation of the “Regina Coeli” prayer.
Beginning by wishing visitors in St. Peter’s Square a “Happy Easter,” the pope said the joy of the resurrection is beyond any other joy because “it is the victory of life over death, hope over despondency.”
“Jesus broke through the darkness of the tomb and lives forever. His presence can fill anything with light,” the pope said. “With him, every day becomes a step in an eternal journey, every ‘today’ can hope for a ‘tomorrow,’ every end a new beginning, every instant is projected beyond the limits of time, toward eternity.”
Pope Francis prayed that the peace and hope that flow from the Resurrection would “reach those places where there is greatest need: the people exhausted by war, by hunger, by every form of oppression.”
The Risen Lord told the women and tells Christians today, “Do not be afraid,” he said. “And if Jesus, the conqueror of sin, fear and death, tells us not to fear, then let us not be afraid, let us not settle into a hopeless life, let us not give up the joy of Easter!”
The women’s joy came from encountering the Risen Jesus and sharing the news with others, he said. “So, let us hasten to seek him in the Eucharist, in his forgiveness, in prayer and in lived charity.”
“Joy increases when it is shared,” he said. “Let us share the joy of Risen One.”
Tears flow as pope washes feet of women inmates at Rome prison
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service
ROME (CNS) — As Pope Francis poured water over their feet, dried them with a towel and kissed their feet, 12 women inmates at Rome’s Rebibbia prison wept.
The pope celebrated the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper March 28 at the women’s prison under a tent set up outside.
The 12 women whose feet were washed by Pope Francis during the liturgy sat on stools on a raised platform so the pope, who has difficulty walking, could wash their feet while seated in his wheelchair.
Many of the women were wearing warmup suits and were fidgeting as they awaited the pope. They included women from Italy, Bulgaria, Nigeria, Ukraine, Peru, Venezuela and Bosnia-Herzegovina. All are housed in the medium-security section, Vatican News reported.
Since it was Pope Francis’ first Holy Thursday visit to a prison with only women present, it was the first time as pope that he washed the feet only of women.
After Mass, he gave a large chocolate Easter egg to a little boy, the only toddler currently living with his mother in the prison, according to the prison director. Italian prisons have special units for mothers with children and the law allows women who are detained to keep their children with them until they are 3 years old.
Pope Francis has made a tradition of celebrating the Holy Thursday Mass at a prison or juvenile detention facility, often washing the feet of both men and women, whether Catholic or not.
And, keeping with his practice at the facilities, he gave only a brief homily, speaking without notes.
By washing his disciples’ feet, Jesus humbles himself, the pope said. “With this gesture, he makes us understand what he had said, ‘I came not to be served but to serve.’ He teaches us the path of service.”
The evening Gospel reading also included the line, “The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over.”
Pope Francis told the women that Judas was incapable of love, and so “money, selfishness lead him to this horrible thing” of betraying Jesus.
But, the pope said, “Jesus forgives everything. Jesus always forgives. He only asks that we ask pardon.”
Quoting a “wise, old woman,” Pope Francis said, “Jesus never tires of forgiving, but we tire of asking forgiveness.”
“Today, let’s ask the Lord for the grace not to tire,” he said. “All of us have small failures, big failures — everyone has their own story — but the Lord awaits us always with open arms and never tires of forgiving.”
Before he washed the women’s feet, he encouraged the women to pray that “the Lord will make all of us grow in the vocation of service.”
The Vatican press office said about 200 people were present, including many seated outside the tent on the lawn. The prison director said 360 women are currently housed at the facility.
Archbishop Diego Giovanni Ravelli, the papal master of liturgical ceremonies, was the main celebrant at the altar.
Father Andrea Carosella, the main chaplain at the Rebibbia prison complex, told Vatican News that the women themselves invited the pope. “For them, the pope’s visit is a sign of his great attention to the prison reality and is a great encouragement.”
Pope Francis washing the women’s feet, he said, “is a sign of the mercy and love of God who goes out to meet the suffering and pain of humanity.”
Sister Maria Pia Iammarino, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, told Vatican News that Pope Francis’ ministry to the women is a model.
In her ministry at the prison, she said, “I do not need to tell them that God loves them, but to be a witness of God’s love for them, to look at them with benevolence and acceptance without judgment. Then, when you have gained the trust of the inmates, you can add words.”
