“The primary reason for evangelizing is the love of Jesus which we have received; the experience of salvation which urges us to have a greater love with Him. What kind of love would not feel the need to speak of the beloved, to point him out, to make him known.” – Pope Francis
GARY – Bishop Robert J. McClory gathered with the faithful in an Easter Octave Mass to honor the memory of Pope Francis on April 26 at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels. The liturgy and the community service projects that followed were a visible reminder of the pontiff’s desire to reach out to the poor and marginalized.
During the homily, the Bishop of Gary shared that in the days since the mortal remains of Pope Francis were placed in St. Peter’s Basilica for the faithful to come and pay their respects, there was a live stream available for those who could not travel to Rome, but still wanted to view the funeral.
To enter more deeply into the time of loss, coupled with hope in the Easter season, Bishop McClory said he kept the YouTube live stream on whatever device he had in hand. Throughout the day, he would watch the steady stream of people coming to honor and pay their last respects to Pope Francis.
“You could see the stream of ordinary people,” Bishop McClory said. “Some were dressed up very nicely. Some were religious. Some were bishops and priests and cardinals. Many were parents coming through and you could see a father trying to lift his young boy, putting him on his shoulders, so he could see.”
“It was just nonstop,” the bishop continued, “this flow of humanity of every color and background coming through to say thank you to Pope Francis and to say a little prayer for him. Today, it's Easter season and we're going to do those things right here Gary. To say thank you to Pope Francis and say a prayer for him.”
Reflecting on his own personal memories, Bishop McClory recalled that in 2007, he came across a statement that was so compelling, so engaging that he put it on his Christmas card: “Knowing Jesus is the best gift that any person can receive. That we have encountered him is the best thing that's happened in our lives. And making Him known, by our word and deeds, is our joy.”
It was Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio (who later became Pope Francis) who was entrusted with drafting the document in which Bishop McClory encountered those words. The bishop went on to reflect on the first apostolic exhortation that Pope Francis issued called “The Joy of the Gospel.”
“Sharing the life of faith is something we are all called to do in terms of how we care for each other and how we share the love of Christ with others and by what we say, how we give witness to the joy of Jesus Christ,” Bishop McClory said.
Pope Francis's intuition in “The Joy of the Gospel,” the bishop added, serves as a reminder that to share the love of Christ with others is not merely an obligation, but it's just a natural part of how Catholics are to live.
“So many of the most striking images on behalf of Pope Francis go beyond the words that he spoke to the images that stay with us – reaching out to those who by physical appearance seem to have among the most horrific conditions that the body can be afflicted with. Yet, he goes and hugs and kisses, and physically reaches out,” Bishop McClory said.
“Pope Francis didn't just talk about it, he went there. He reminded us that he would much rather have a Church that was out on the streets, getting bruised along the way, rather than one that was so self-referential as to not go out and share the love of Christ.”
At the conclusion of Mass, Father Michael Surufka, O.F.M, took to the ambo to invite the crowd to participate in one of three corporal works of mercy: cleaning up a nearby playground on Polk Street in order to make it more accessible to families in the community, serving a lunchtime meal to residents of the Carolyn Mosby Senior Citizen Apartments three blocks away from the cathedral, or assisting the pop-up food pantry at St. Mary of the Lake in the Miller neighborhood by packing 100 bags of items for the needy.
“Pope Francis said you have to go to the edge, you have to go to the margin, and you can’t get more to the margin than Gary, Indiana,” Father Surufka said. “Three blocks north of us there’s industry and all around us are people eager to see a sign of hope and love.”
The service projects were coordinated by Secular Franciscans from around the diocese, including Mary Ann Meschi, a parishioner of Our Lady of Grace in Highland.
“I’ve been a Secular for 52 years and this is just part of our lifestyle,” Meschi said. “I was 21 when I started, and God called me to that way of life.”
Meschi joined Mary Grace, a member of St. Thomas More in Munster, in setting up and serving lunch at the senior apartments.
“This is very Franciscan,” she said of the afternoon activities, “and it’s very Pope Francis. I don’t think you can separate the two.”
Chirina Bernaite, also of St. Thomas More in Munster, opted to assist with sprucing up the nearby playground, preparing herself to get a little dirty. “I wanted to do the harder (project) because I wanted to feel like I was really doing something,” she said.
Members of the Diocese of Gary will have another opportunity to participate in acts of service on Saturday, May 31. A Day of Service will be conducted in partnership with Christ in the City and will conclude with a neighborhood cookout outside the Cathedral of the Holy Angels in Gary. For more information, visit dcgary.org.
