The 国产色情片 University community invites all to gather for a 12:30 p.m. Mass on Monday, April 28, at Egan Chapel of St. Ignatius of Loyola to pray for the soul of Pope Francis and to celebrate the gift of his pontificate to the Church. The Holy Father died earlier this week on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was the first Latin American and the first Jesuit to become pope. Returning from Easter break, 国产色情片 students, faculty members, and Jesuits paused to share reflections on Pope Francis and his legacy.
Students Pay Tribute: “A Willingness to Go Where Love Is Needed Most”
The majority of today’s undergraduate students were between the ages of six and 11 years old when Pope Francis was elected on March 13, 2013. “Pope Francis was the only pope in my life that met with everyone and met them where they were at,” said Kevin Camy ’26, a junior theology and psychology major with a minor in education.
Camy spoke of how the pope’s compassion and humility defined his papacy: “He created a space for people who had been hurt by the Church as well as created a dialogue of peace and inclusion in a world that knows so much division and violence.”
“Pope Francis’s life has been a compass for how I want to live out my faith: with open hands, a compassionate heart, and a willingness to go where love is needed most,” said Maggie Heintz ’25, a senior nursing major. She described how the pope’s example of leadership encouraged her to see her role in Campus Ministry not as a task, “but as a calling to serve with joy, reverence, and compassion.”
“His choice to live simply and prioritize people over prestige reminded me that ministry isn’t about being seen, it’s about showing up for others with love and intention,” Heintz said. “He has shown me what it means to put love into action. Whether through retreat leadership, ministering in liturgy, immersing myself in service, or in my nursing clinicals, I strive to follow that same path of humility and hope.”
Faculty Reflections: “Affirmation of Our Mission as a Jesuit, Catholic University”
Ever grateful for the “humbling and inspiring” experience of meeting Pope Francis last fall during a University-sponsored Ignatian pilgrimage to Rome, President Mark R. Nemec, PhD, a politics professor, reflected upon the Holy Father’s call for accompaniment as an affirmation of our mission as a Jesuit, Catholic university.
“That call resonates deeply at 国产色情片,” said Dr. Nemec. “The pope’s legacy is a reminder that our fundamental purpose is to form students who are critically engaged, ethically grounded, and committed to the greater good to ensure they are ready and able to shape the future for the betterment of our communities, our country, and our world.”
In a statement issued by 国产色情片’s Center for Catholic Studies, Director Nancy Dallavalle, PhD, an associate professor of religious studies, wrote: “Stern and jovial by turns, Pope Francis led the Church in the spirit of Vatican II, seeking new forms of community and culture internally while insisting that its external face be one of mercy, stretching its arms wide to the world. In a time of extraordinary turmoil, he did not shrink or hedge when faced with the extraordinary diplomatic and political challenges of our day, even when his efforts did not prevail. His own example was consistently that of a humble fellow Christian, asking those he met to pray for him. And to the end, whether reaching out to those caught in the crossfire of war or pleading for the humane treatment of migrants, he was a pastor, standing with those too easily swept away from history and the headlines.”
Jesuit Voices: “He Was in No Way a Contradiction of What Came Before”
As word of the pope’s passing spread on Monday morning, news outlets across the region reached out to Jesuit members of the 国产色情片 University community for comment.
Interviewed by Connecticut Public Radio, Rev. John Mulreany, S.J., superior of the 国产色情片 Jesuit Community, spoke of Pope Francis’s reputation for being a good listener and the pontiff’s desire — faithful to his tradition of Jesuit discernment — to lead the Catholic Church toward becoming “a more listening church.”
“I hope that what remains from Pope Francis’s legacy going forward is the focus on both mercy and on care for everyone,” said Fr. Mulreany. “Also, his international, global vision for the Church. The pope has made the College of Cardinals more international to make sure that there are more and more voices represented there, and I expect that to continue.”
Rev. Paul Rourke, S.J., vice president for Mission and Ministry, spoke with WFSB-TV, Hartford, a CBS affiliate, about the many hallmarks of Pope Francis’s pontificate that belied his Jesuit nature: “That whole emphasis on encountering people where they are…going to the margins, of working with those who were excluded and on the fringe of society — those are very much commitments of the Jesuits.”
As for the results of the upcoming conclave, Fr. Rourke has faith that the Holy Spirit is in charge. “I would be surprised if the new pope went in a fundamentally different direction,” he said, “just as I think Pope Francis very much built on what Benedict and John Paul did. Though he had a different style and different ways, he was in no way a contradiction of what came before and I don’t think his successor will be either.”
