Reflection from Fr. Michael Newman, OSFS, Pastor, Holy Family Parish, MI

When I think of Pope Francis. I think about how he constantly modeled God's closeness to his people. Pope Francis was never far away from people. From his decision to live in the Casa Santa Marta (the Vatican hotel where he could regularly interact with people) instead of the apartment in the Apostolic Palace, to his constant embracing, both literally and figuratively, of those on the margins of society, the Holy Father constantly offered us the example of a pastor who wanted to be with and among his people. In one of his earliest addresses, the Pope said that he wanted pastors to "smell like the sheep"; in other words, to be close to their people and among them as one who humbly serves them. I have tried taking these words to heart as I live and minister here at Holy Family Parish in Adrian.

Pope Francis did it constantly throughout his life both as a Jesuit superior, as the cardinal-archbishop of Buenos Aires and, finally, as the supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church. Even on Easter Sunday, sick as he was, he desired to be among the people, first by offering the traditional papal blessing (the "Urbi et Orbi" or "To the city [Rome] and to the world) to riding around in the Popemobile one last time to greet the faithful, Francis was a pope who loved, shepherded, and pastored his people. He showed us the closeness and the mercy of God and, while we rejoice that he has returned to the Father, he will be missed.