I had the immense privilege of briefly meeting Pope Francis at our 36th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus. I spoke to him in Spanish saying “Pope Francis, I pray for you every day.” He responded as he took my hand, “Thanks, I need the prayers.”

There is so much to say as we both mourn the death of Pope Francis and celebrate the gift of his life. From the beginning of his pontificate until the end, he was a humble man of prayer. When he walked onto the balcony to introduce himself as the new Pope, he bowed and asked for the prayers of the faithful. Pope Francis called us to ongoing prayer and discernment, to the freedom of allowing Jesus to lead us and to not be afraid of prayer.

As a man of prayer, Pope Francis was full of joy. He called all of us to encounter Jesus, to receive Jesus’ love and mercy, and to then go off and proclaim the good news with joy.

Led by Jesus, Pope Francis went to the peripheries and championed the poor and marginalized. Leading with mercy and compassion, Pope Francis proclaimed a love that was inclusive of all, especially attentive to the marginalized, those whose human dignity is threatened or denied. He challenged the world to build bridges rather than walls and invited the Church to open its doors to all. Pope Francis walked among the sheep as a good shepherd, smelling like the sheep he loved so dearly.

Taking the name of Francis, Pope Francis felt a call to build and renew the Church. Pope Francis spoke often about the serious illness of clericalism within our Church, a clericalism rich in pride and attachment. He invited the peripheries to the center of our Church by ordaining bishops and cardinals from countries never before represented in this way.

Pope Francis challenged all of us to take care of our common earthly home. The lack of care for our environment has not only created great damage to our earthly home but has also increased the suffering amongst the poorest. Pope Francis called us to work together to build the common good, to help Jesus build the Kingdom of God.

Our Cristo Rey Network was blessed to have Pope Francis speak with some of our students 10 years ago at Cristo Rey Jesuit in Chicago. In hearing the story of Valerie, one of our students, Pope Francis responded by encouraging us to walk with hope, and to not walk alone. He told us to have courage and offer love and tenderness to others. Pope Francis spoke of walking hand in hand with others, and he invited Valerie and all of us to have the courage to keep singing.

As we mourn the death and celebrate the life of Pope Francis, may we - as the Cristo Rey Network - keep building bridges, going to the peripheries of our cities with Jesus, and with love, help lift up the dignity of all. May we have the courage to keep singing, and to walk hand in hand with Jesus our King helping to bring to life his Kingdom of peace, love, and justice.

Jim Gartland, SJ, Chief Mission Officer