22-04-2025
Oklahoma City Catholic Community remembers Pope Francis
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The Vatican announced Pope Francis passed away early Monday morning. Instead of being shocked and dismayed, the Catholic community in Oklahoma City is saying it's a beautiful time for the pope to pass on.
'Although sad, what a great moment in time for him to go into the communion of saints in heaven with our lord on Easter Monday,' said Miguel Mireles, executive director of the Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City.
RELATED NEWS: Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff who ministered with a charming, humble style, dies at 88
Over Easter weekend, thousands made their way to the Stanley Rother Shrine to celebrate the holiday but also the renewal of the church and of faith.
On Easter Monday, families continued that spirit by bringing flowers before Our Lady of Guadeloupe and kneeling in prayer just hours after the Bishop of Rome announced Pope Frances 'returned to the home of the father' after a long battle with chronic lung disease.
According to the Associated Press, Pope Francis died from a cerebral stroke that led to a coma and irreversible heart failure.
For many, the timing felt almost divine.
'Honestly, I thought it was really beautiful,' said Caitlin Rodriguez, who was visiting the shrine with her family from Fort Worth. 'Just knowing he's lived his beautiful life here and he served our lord in so many beautiful ways.'
Mireles said the 88-year-old pope advocated for the poor, the environment, and the marginalized.
'Let them understand that he loved them and wanted to do his best for them and that the lord did not abandon them,' said Mireles.
As the first Latin American pontiff, his legacy resonates deeply here.
'Had a very large following with our folks that come here because we do have a large Hispanic catholic population,' said Mireles.
Although his passing brings shock and sorrow, it also brings a sense of peace.
'We know that it's going to happen to every pope, from in the past and into the future,' said Rodriguez.
LOCAL NEWS: Oklahoma Geological Survey needs help expanding their network
Archbishop of OKC, Paul Coakley, issued this statement on Facebook:
We are saddened this Easter Monday to learn of the passing of Pope Francis, who has been called home to the Father's house.
This ecclesial moment offers us the opportunity to consider the work of God in and through those He has called to serve Him and His people. Over the past few weeks, I have been reflecting upon the life and ministry of our Holy Father, Pope Francis.
From the first moments of his papacy, he sought to utilize prophetic gestures as a principal means of his universal pastoral ministry. Pope Francis was a shepherd for whom the Church's witness to the world was at the forefront of his mind. His special pastoral concern for the marginalized, the disenfranchised and the excluded in society was always first and foremost when proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.
He charted the course of his papacy with the publication of his 2013 post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation called the 'Joy of the Gospel' (Evangelii Gaudium). He wrote about the need for a renewed proclamation of the Good News of Jesus' incarnation, passion, death and resurrection. He called for this Kerygma to be at the center of the life and the witness of the Church.
There is a certain fittingness — and poetic beauty — that the Lord called his servant home during the Easter octave and Jubilee of Hope. In a certain sense, Pope Francis began and ended his service of the Petrine Ministry with the theme of hope.
We give thanks to almighty God for the gift of Pope Francis. We pray for the repose of his soul, and we pray for the universal Church in this time of transition.
With gratitude for his ministry, we bid our prayerful farewell to Pope Francis and commend him to the Lord. We now turn with great confidence to the Father and pray for the one whom He will choose to shepherd the Church as our next pope, the Vicar of Christ and Bishop of Rome.
Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us.
Most Reverend Paul S. Coakley, Archbishop of Oklahoma City
The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City said it will have a special service at the Catholic Pastoral Center on Northwest Expressway at 11:30am on Tuesday. Then, on Thursday, it will have another service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help at 7 p.m.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
