On an otherwise warm and sunny day, Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Madison was decorated in mournful black.
Held five days after his death, more than 500 people prayed virtually and in-person at the church for the peaceful repose of Pope Francis.
The Memorial Mass on April 26 was celebrated by Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison and the main concelebrant was Fr. Brian Wilk, parochial administrator of Our Lady Queen of Peace and St. Thomas Aquinas Parishes in Madison.
They were joined by 18 priests of the Diocese of Madison.
The General Intercessions included special petitions for the Holy Father, which were read by Our Lady Queen of Peace parishioner Mary Uhler who served as commentator that day.
The Mass also featured music that reflected heartfelt sorrow for Pope Francis’s passing, and next to the altar was a photo of him, decorated with a black ribbon.
Bishop Hying read passages of Pope Francis’s writings during his homily that spoke to the heart of the late pontiff, highlighting the pope’s zeal for evangelization, desire for world peace, and love for the poor and the marginalized.
At the end of the Mass, Bishop Hying thanked everyone who came, saying that “the most profound way we can honor the legacy of Pope Francis is to live our Catholic faith in all of its Beauty, Truth, and Goodness.
“We praise and thank God for him and his legacy to us, [which] gives us the strength and perseverance and the joy to go forth and to live our Faith,” the bishop said.