Bishop James Ruggieri celebrates a Mass at the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis

As the Catholic Church commemorates Novemdiales, a nine-day period of mourning for Pope Francis, Bishop James Ruggieri celebrated a Mass at the Basilica of Ss. Peter & Paul in Lewiston on Wednesday, April 30, to pray for the repose of the pope’s soul

“Oh God, who in your wondrous providence chose your servant Pope Francis to preside over your Church, grant, we pray, that having served as the vicar of your son on earth, he may be welcomed by him into eternal glory,” the bishop prayed.

Ten priests from around the diocese concelebrated the Mass with the bishop. They were joined by six deacons and more than 250 parishioners.

“It's such a blessing to be able to be here with our priests, our bishop, the community, just knowing that we're all united as a faith, as a Church. It's a great gift and a blessing,” said Lisa Daigle, a family services advisor at St. Peter’s Cemetery in Lewiston, who was among those in attendance.

In his homily, Bishop Ruggieri recalled a few moments from Pope Francis’ pontificate, saying that some that particularly touched him happened soon after Pope Francis was elected in March 2013.

“The pictures and the stories that he rode the bus with the cardinals, the newly elected pope, and he also paid for his own hotel bill – those will always stand out in my mind as really iconic as they gave us some insights into this beautiful man of God who was elected as our pope,” the bishop said.

Bishop Ruggieri said Pope Francis was unique in many ways, pointing, for instance, to the pope’s far-reaching efforts to bring Christ’s message to everyone.

“As our universal shepherd, he steadfastly proclaimed the Gospel to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. His proclamation of the Gospel was rooted in the person of Jesus Christ and in the kerygma: Jesus is Lord and God is love,” the bishop said. 

Parishioners gathered in the pews said it was the pope’s humility and the way he related to people that most resonated with them.

“I think his legacy is going to be embodying Jesus Christ in his humbleness. He was here to serve and not to be served. He brought dignity to every individual. He brought love and spread love to everybody. He brought the need to respect individuals, both living and those who are unborn at this point,” said Bruce Blanchard of Greene.

“I had great respect for this pope. He always seemed to want peace, and he was kind to the poor and made you want to do more,” said Linda Blanchard, Bruce’s wife, who said the pope inspired her to bring Communion to the homebound.

“He was for the people, and he treated everybody with respect, and he wanted to do everything good in Jesus’s eyes,” said Patricia, a parishioner from Lewiston.

“Pope Francis was a super, super leader. He was a real people’s pope, and his death was hard to take. We hope that as we pray for him that he sends his blessings down to us,” said Paul Ouellette, commander of Knights of Columbus Council 2173 in Auburn, who participated in the honor guard during the Mass.

“He had a great concern for our home, this earth, and he was trying to keep it healthy for all of us in the same way he tried to keep us spiritually healthy,” said Regina Lewis of Gardiner.

Bishop Ruggieri said that although Pope Francis has died, the Church is still alive, and the pope’s teachings remain with us. He pointed, for instance, to the pope’s efforts to bring youths and young adults to the Church and about the need for all Christians to develop a closer relationship with Christ and to then bring his message to others.

“We bring Christ to others by the way we live and by what we say. But first, before we can do any of that, we must meet and know Christ ourselves,” the bishop said.

While offering prayers for Pope Francis, the bishop also encouraged the faithful to pray for the cardinal electors who will begin meeting on May 7 to choose a new pope. Bishop Ruggieri noted that 80% of the 135 cardinal electors were created cardinals by Pope Francis, some coming from areas of the world that had never previously had a cardinal.