Cairns Pilgrims Witness Major World Event
Our Director of Identity and Outreach, Rachel McLean, shares her reflections from the funeral of Pope Francis. Rachel was one of a small group of students and staff from our Diocese of Cairns schools, along with Bishop Joe Caddy, who were attending the first Jubilee for Teenagers Pilgrimage.
The Jubilee for Teenagers Pilgrimage was designed to provide participants with an opportunity to encounter and connect with young people from around the world who are Catholic or want to learn more about the Catholic faith.
Having time in Rome during Holy Week, exploring the world of nature that inspired St Francis of Assisi, and the incredible art history of Florence became a prelude to a moment in time none of the participants ever thought they would experience – being recipients of the last blessing of Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square before his death on Easter Monday.
During the Easter Tridium, we heard the last of the wisdom of Pope Francis through his meditations and homilies. What rang true to each of us was that our life, when lived with faith, can be a witness to the presence of hope in our world. We heard this in the sparse St Peter’s Square during the Easter Vigil. On that Saturday, the square felt lonely, there were not many of us gathered to witness the movement of dark to light, to wait patiently at the tomb for the risen Christ; yet we sat in the silence and stillness of the cold night, journeying through the scriptures that shine a light for our path. Come Easter Sunday, the mood had shifted, thousands were present, there was a buzz, a joy, we felt connected to something bigger than us. As we listened to the homily and the Urbi et Orbi blessing, we felt the tangible presence of hope.
When we caught a glimpse of the frail Pope Francis as he gave a blessing from the balcony (and later from the Popemobile) we caught our collective breaths and knew we were part of something bigger. As shared by Azali Mitchell, Year 12 student from St Stephen’s Catholic College, Mareeba, the gift of seeing Pope Francis “filled me with a deep sense of peace and reverence, making his sudden passing feel more surreal. The contrast between witnessing his presence and now preparing for his funeral has left me feeling both grateful and profoundly emotional. It’s a reminder of how sacred life truly is.”
We wanted to honour his life, and all those he has impacted, by being present and bringing the prayers of those we love at home into St Peter’s Square for his funeral. As we gathered with 400,000 other pilgrims and friends who wanted to honour Pope Francis, we became acutely aware that we were witnesses to a faith in Christ which does not stay still. Many of us still don’t have words to capture what is happening in our heads, hearts and deepest parts of who we are at this moment in time; what we do know is that we are not the same people we were when we started this pilgrimage. Our faith has expanded over these days, and we are seeing things in new ways. We have become more aware of the love of our family and friends and our connection to home. As we keep moving in our lives, the significance of our presence in Rome during this time may become clearer and we might find the words that capture all that these days have been.