By Katie Vasquez
As Catholics around the world mourn the death of the Holy Father, in the Diocese of Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan consoled his flock.
He led a Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in Brooklyn, in honor of Pope Francis.
“There’s a certain sense of sadness, but there’s also a great sense of gratitude. We’re grateful to the lord for giving us pope francis for all these years, and to Pope Francis for his leadership, for his strength of leadership and his tenderness,” said Bishop Brennan.
Bishop Brennan has had the chance to meet Pope Francis on numerous occasions and he recalls that it was always a warm experience.
“He met with the bishops for, I would say, almost two hours in a room with just an open forum where he said, okay, ask me anything you want to ask. Tell me anything you want to talk about. and I was struck by his fraternal style and his friendliness,” said Bishop Brennan.
When Angie Cruz, a parishioner at Cathedral Basilica of St James, learned the news the morning of April 21, she knew there was one place she had to be.
“I was in shock. I told my daughter, ‘Let me go, let me go. I don’t know, I think he’s passed away already.’ So I start crying, I thought, let me go to church, because it’s painful.'” said Cruz.
She admired the pope for his care and concern for the environment.
“He was a green pope because he was doing stuff around the planet,” said Cruz.
The Holy Father was a role model for Frost Hernandez, which is part of why he attended the April 21 Mass in his memory.
“One of the reasons why, again, I came here today was not only to pray for the pope, but also to pray for the Church, to pray for the Church and the future of the Church,” said Hernandez.
As the first pope from the Americas, Frost says it was a moment of pride for the Hispanic community.
“I think that a lot of people saw themselves in him,” said Hernandez
And now as Catholics mourn his passing, Bishop Brennan wants young people to never forget all the strides that Pope Francis has made.
“His message was that we really need to learn from your joy, your exuberance and, my message to the young people today would be to keep that going, keep that joy and exuberance going,” said Bishop Brennan.