April 21, 2025
Dear Members of the Saint Ignatius Community,
In union with the Universal Church, we mourn the passing of Pope Francis who entered eternal life on Easter Monday morning. The first Jesuit to be elected to the papacy, we at Saint Ignatius feel close ties to Pope Francis. As a Jesuit, he was formed in the
Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola and gave himself fully to the Jesuit way of life. The Universal Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus clearly reflect the Jesuit values that were operative in Pope Francis’ leadership of the Church: discernment of God’s will, special care of the poor and marginalized, walking with youth into a hope-filled future, and care for the earth.
Pope Francis will be known forever as a spiritual leader of profound humility and unswerving faith. In his twelve-year papacy he brought us, the faithful, ever closer to the mercy of God and the joy of Christ’s gospel. He promoted a synodal Church, one whose nature is to listen and to dialogue on important topics in the lives of the faithful. He challenged the Church to follow the gospel call to fight against injustices of the world, to side with the poor and excluded, and to support migrants in their plight. He spoke passionately against violence and war, especially in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan. And his penchant for being present to the people of God, even on the day before he died, bore moving witness to the compassionate love of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
On the night of his papal election in 2013, Pope Francis stood for the first time on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and asked an energized crowd to pray for him. May our fervent prayers, though more somber in tone at the news of his passing, be raised for him again as leaves the halls of the Vatican and now enters the halls of heaven. Let us pray for the repose of his soul, and in great thanksgiving to God for his remarkable life of faith, his servant leadership of the Church, and his lasting legacy of faith that does justice.
O God, immortal shepherd of souls, look on Your people’s prayers
and grant that Your servant Pope Francis, who presided over Your Church in charity,
may with the flock entrusted to his care, receive from Your mercy the reward of a faithful steward.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.
Amen.
(taken from the Roman Missal, Various Prayers for the Dead)
Yours ever in Christ,
Rev. Raymond P. Guiao, S.J. ’82
President & Chief Mission Officer, Saint Ignatius High School (Cleveland, OH)