Pope Francis remembered for selflessness and humility by Valley Catholics

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SAN JUAN — A festive display of yellow, red, pink and purple flowers hung above the entrance to the Basilica Of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine on Easter Monday.

But over the Basilica’s golden doors, a large black bow was added.

Inside, a wall had portraits of Auxiliary Bishop Mario Avilés and Bishop Daniel E. Flores, but the spot where Pope Francis’s portrait was empty. A hook hung bare where the late pontiff’s portrait was for 12 years.

Instead, the portrait had been moved to the altar where a memorial of white flowers now surrounded the photo of a smiling, bespectacled Francis.

Father Mario Alberto Castro preceded over the daily 5:30 Mass to a congregation of a few dozen parishioners. The mood was somber, with some church-goers dressed in black in mourning of the Pope.

“There’s a tremendous love for the Pope,” Castro said after the Mass. “But this pope was a pope of the people. He was so close to the poor, to the marginalized, to those in prison, to those who have been alienated by the church — just like the Lord Jesus, always out there in the peripheries.”

Castro said that there had been people trickling in and out of the Basilica throughout the day to mourn and pray for Francis, who died early Monday morning — a shocking announcement made less than a day after the Pope publicly celebrated Easter Sunday Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Vatican revealed that Francis died as a result of a stroke suffered early Monday morning, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.

“We were not expecting this to happen, obviously,” Castro said. “From what I understand, he had a stroke, but we were praying for his recovery.”

“But what a beautiful occasion to die, you know, the night of Easter Sunday,” he continued. “People have been coming. I’ve noticed that they come to venerate the image that’s up front. I’ve noticed all day people have been coming just to pay their respects because it’s our father, our spiritual father.”

After the Mass, some members of the congregation walked up to the memorial to take pictures and pray. Others sat in quiet reflection. When approached by a reporter, many chose not to discuss the Pope’s death — at least one person describing the situation as “too sensitive”.

Rafael Salas, of San Juan, said that he came to the Basilica to pay his respects to Francis. He said that he was having a difficult time articulating the emotions he felt after the Pope died, but acknowledged that it was a difficult time for the entire Christian community.

“The Pope is a vital person that guides us in our faith, so to have lost him is really hard,” Salas said. “I just thought he was really amazing. His views were outside of the box in a lot of things. They just embraced everyone from every ethnicity and backgrounds.”

Sister Norma Pimentel, who met Pope Francis on several occasions, said that she was saddened and shocked by the news of his passing.

“Being with the people on Easter Sunday was so touching and so inspiring, so this was so unexpected today,” Pimentel said Monday. “To wake up very early and to hear this news, it’s truly sad. It’s heartbreaking to know that he has passed. I am just filled with all the wonderful things he left us and that he gave to us while he was here — that example of humility and totally giving himself to the poor and to those that need us.”

Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle National Shrine

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Pimentel, a religious sister of the Missionaries of Jesus, has devoted her life to serving the downtrodden and the needy through her work as executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. Her work drew the attention of Francis, who recognized her during a virtual papal audience hosted by ABC News in 2015.

She recalled Francis choosing McAllen as the location to host the virtual town hall, which was broadcast to a national audience from Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

“McAllen was singled out by him,” Pimentel recalled. “While he was present through this interview, he actually singled me out and said, ‘I want to talk to Sister Norma.’”

Pimentel said that she could not believe that she was being recognized by the pontiff.

“It was such a beautiful moment for me,” she said. “It was like in an instant he came down and embraced me with his presence, with his words, and telling me he loved me very much for all the wonderful things that we were doing here in our community. It was so beautiful and so special.”

She said that she will continue to honor his memory by following in his example of selflessness and humility and caring for the vulnerable.

“(He was) an amazing example to me, and it’s so in-line with what I do and who I am and what is happening in my life,” Pimentel said, reflecting on Francis’s influence even after his death. “I feel that our Holy Father is saying to me, ‘Have courage, Norma, lead and help others do good.’”

Following the news of Francis’s death, Bishop Daniel E. Flores released a statement on behalf of the Diocese of Brownsville.

“His words and example have challenged us to think more of others than of ourselves, more of those who suffer than of our own pursuits of comfort, more of our mission to enact the mind of Christ in the world than to seek the aims of worldly mediocrity,” the statement read. “To take these lessons to heart, to put them in practice is first of all to honor Christ the Lord. This is what Pope Francis, like a good shepherd, most desired for us to do.”

Immaculate Conception Cathedral

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Flores announced nine days of prayers for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis. He also urged congregants to gather in parish churches to pray the Rosary for Francis and attend Mass.

One Mass was celebrated Tuesday afternoon at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Brownsville. Another is scheduled for Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Basilica of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle.

“Let us comfort one another with assurances of faith and hope, as the Apostle urges, for Christ, who suffered and died for us, has risen as he promised,” Flores said.

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