It is with sadness that we learned in the early hours of the morning of the passing of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, announced by the Vatican at 1:30am MST. Of course, there is no more beautiful time to imagine departing from this earthly life than within the Octave of Easter. 

Our beloved Pope St. John Paul II died on the last day of the Octave of Easter in 2005, and now, 20 years later, Pope Francis has died on the first day of the Octave of Easter, in a Jubilee Year. Even Pope Benedict XVI, thought not dying in office, passed on the last day of the Octave of Christmas in 2022. 

While there are a series of nine days of Masses which are prescribed to be celebrated by every priest in the world upon the death of the Roman Pontiff, those Masses may not replace those of the Easter Octave. Therefore, we will remember the late pope in our prayers and next week we will offer the traditional Masses for the repose of his soul. 

These are sacred days of rejoicing at the gift of our Lord's Resurrection from the dead. Let us keep the memory of the Holy Father alive in our hearts and commend him to the Divine Mercy.