Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, December 17, 1936
Elected Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome, March 13, 2013
Returned to the House of the Father, April 21, 2025
Statement of Most Rev. James F. Checchio, JCD, MBA, Bishop of Metuchen, on the passing of Pope Francis:
With heavy hearts, the Diocese of Metuchen mourns the passing of His Holiness, Pope Francis. From the moment of his election as Supreme Pontiff when he took the name Francis, our Holy Father has emphasized the mercy of God, embracing in his Petrine ministry the poor, the migrant, the marginalized, and all those broken by this world’s problems and concerns. We entrust his noble soul to the hands of our Blessed Mother to accompany him to our Father’s house. In this Jubilee year in which Pope Francis called us to be Pilgrims of Hope, he has now made the ultimate pilgrimage to the embrace of our loving God.
Statement from Fr. Abraham Orapankal, our Pastor:
We, the Catholic Community of St. Matthias, are truly saddened at the loss of Pope Francis. Coming on the heels of his surprise appearance at St. Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday yesterday, the announcement from the Vatican this morning that “the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the house of the Father” is indeed shocking. We thank God for the amazing way God used Pope Francis to shepherd the church to be a more welcoming community and be a voice of conscience for the whole world, especially on behalf of the poor and the marginalized. May our loving and merciful God welcome him into the portals of heaven with these welcoming words: “Well done, good and faithful servant….come into the kingdom prepared for you …..” (Matthew 25:34).