VERSAILLES, Ky. (LEX 18) — The bells at St. Leo Church rang at 7:35 a.m. in Versailles to remember Pope Francis, who died at 7:35 a.m. local time in Rome.
“What he gave me is the awareness of what it means to truly be a disciple of Jesus,” said Father Chris Clay, the pastor at St. Leo.
This Easter Monday includes time of reflection on the life and teachings of Pope Francis, and what he meant to the church.
“I think Pope Francis really embraced that Franciscan view of the world of reaching out, loving God, loving and serving our neighbor,” said St. Leo teacher Rosemary Hakim Fedorchuk.
“There's that sense of gratitude for his life,” Clay added, “and yet at the same time sorrow that Pope Francis has finished his earthly pilgrimage and is now, we pray, with God in heaven.”
The students at St. Leo School started the day with an Easter Monday Mass, taking time to pray and remember Francis. With the news, Clay said it was an important teaching point.
“It's a reminder for [the students] that, with all the things that we do each day, that there is that perspective of seeking the things of heaven.”
The pope declared 2025 as the Jubilee Holy Year, calling Catholics to renew as “Pilgrims of Hope”
“As Pope Francis told us just recently when he declared this a year of hope, ‘hope does not disappoint,’” Fedorchuk said. “We're people of hope and that's what this season is about.”
A day after the Easter holiday, that message of hope is displayed throughout the school through decorations on the doors.
“The tomb isn't the end. Death isn't the end,” Fedorchuk said. “[Francis] lived a good and fruitful life. He lived every day of his life so while I'm sad that he's gone, I'm joyful in his rebirth in heaven.”
