The first media call came in at 6:20 a.m. on Easter Monday, rousing me from my peaceful, “day off” slumber. The reporter was both embarrassed that he had awakened me and a little panicked when he realized that he had to break the news to me …. Pope Francis had died.
And so began the cascade of phone calls and emails, working swiftly to prepare our response for the secular media, building our coverage for The Monitor and responding to broadcast outlets who wanted Bishop O’Connell to be an on-air guest for their special coverage.
Around 8 a.m., the Bishop announced that he would celebrate a Mass of Remembrance that day at noon in our Cathedral, setting off a flurry of website and social media posts to invite the faithful to attend or watch the livestream.
Through it all, our Communications and Media team were in “GO” mode, doing what had to be done under significant time constraints. I thank each of them for their selfless efforts.
And I recognized their efforts to put aside their personal sense of loss over the Holy Father’s death so that we could all do our jobs. I, too, found myself moving through the tasks of the day, seemingly without grief, when suddenly something came up on social media or in my email that brought me to tears. There was no way to dwell on it. But it was there all the same.
For many, the Pope’s death leaves a void in our lives. We no longer have that clarion voice, calling us to the compassion and humility that all believers should emulate in Christ’s name. We have lost his unceasing outreach to the world, educating all who would listen about how to care for one another and this earth that we share. The comfort that we took in Pope Francis’ words, his ability to push past politics and proclaim the truths of the Gospel, will perhaps not be as easy to find.
Yet, we embrace the hope that Pope Francis spoke about so consistently. God will not abandon us and his grace is about to guide the cardinal electors who will enter the conclave to deliver us a new pope. We pray for them and the duty before them, and we give thanks to God for the gift of Pope Francis.
A special note to our readers. The news about Pope Francis’ death and legacy, and the conclave that will begin on May 7 has pre-empted most of the local coverage we had planned for this issue. Much of this content is posted to TrentonMonitor.com and some of it will be available in a future issue of the magazine.
With this print edition on Pope Francis, we’ve tried to deliver a keepsake of stories and reflections that will outlast the ever-changing news.
We expect to produce another special issue once the conclave is over and the next pope is elected. Watch for that within a few weeks.
And please know that for every article we can run in print, there are 5-10 more on TrentonMonitor.com, especially now with so much news developing in the Church. There is currently no log-in, all content is available. This is the time to check it out if you haven’t already done so.
With grateful hearts, we align our prayers with those of our readers for the peaceful repose of Pope Francis.