21-04-2025
W MI Catholics remember Pope Francis for ‘care of creation'
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — People in West Michigan are remembering Pope Francis and the legacy he leaves behind on Monday. He was 88.
Mass attendees at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel on Aquinas College's campus were reflecting on the life and legacy of Pope Francis.
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'What a great blessing for him to be willing, to be able to be with his people on Easter to give an Easter blessing and then to pass away on the Monday after. To be taken to his heavenly home,' Helen Milanowski, a Catholic attending mass at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel on Monday, said.
While she says she didn't agree with every decision the pope made, she appreciated his service to Christ.
'I know he was always very concerned about marginalized people, poor people, and certainly I admire him for bringing that to our attention,' she said.
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The Diocese of Grand Rapids says Pope Francis connected with people in West Michigan despite the physical distance to Vatican City.
'His emphasis on ministry to the margins, his emphasis on care for the immigrant, the poor, the marginalized. His focus on care of creation,' Rev. Colin Mulhall, vicar general of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, said.
His appeal went beyond Catholics and was respected by religious and world leaders.
'Pope Francis in particular, but sort of the papacy in general, is not just for Catholics. I think Pope Francis, in a particular way, sort of exemplifies that just the way in which he appeals not just to Catholics but to other Christians of other denominations and even non-Christian people of goodwill. People of good faith,' Mulhall said.
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While many saw the pope on television, parishioners at St. Sebastian Catholic Church in Byron Center went on a trip to Italy in October of 2024 and saw the pope with their own eyes.
'He went by the first time, and he just kind of gave a smile and a blessing. Thought it was over and someone near me said, 'No, he's coming back again,'' Daniel Allan, parishioner and staff member of St. Sebastian Catholic Church, said.
Pope Francis blessed a Zucchetto — a type of hat worn by clergy. It now sits next to a picture of the pope in the church, along with a candle lit in his honor.
'They stopped the car, and he smiled, and his aide (put) the Zucchetto on his hat, on his head, smiled and gave it right back. It was just really beautiful,' Allan said.
Parishioners say they will continue to pray for the church during this period of mourning.
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