KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pope Francis’ funeral is set for Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, and a viewing of his body will begin on Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica, according to the Associated Press.
Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri, is one of many places around the world continuing to honor and mourn the life of Francis. He was the first Jesuit pope, and Rockhurst is a Jesuit high school.
Rockhurst's Father Carlos Esparza said his first words with Pope Francis make for his favorite funny story. Esparza met the pope in Rome in 2015, just one month after he’d been ordained.
“My friend greets the pope by yelling out loud, ‘Holy Father, we are two Jesuit priests, and we’ve just been ordained for one month,'" Esparza said. “And Pope Francis, who was a Jesuit, this caught his ear. He stopped, did a 180, looked around, and said, ‘That’s your problem.’ He had a great sense of humor.”
From there, he said the pope prayed for him and his family, an interaction he’ll never forget.
Rockhurst High School President David Laughlin said he’s grateful for Pope Francis’ life and for what his students can learn about their own faith because of it.
“They'll get to see a conclave of cardinals," Laughlin said. "They'll get to hear mainstream media talk about this 1.4-billion-person church that the Pope leads, and I think there's some learning to be done for them as well."
You can find signs of Francis all around Rockhurst High School. A few students also got to meet the pope when he visited the U.S in 2015.
For Father Esparza, Pope Francis has inspired his own future in the Catholic Church.
“It helps me kind of remember what his message was about, what he wanted to emphasize, and allows me to kind of look forward and have hope for the future for the church,” Esparza said.
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KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers the cities of Shawnee and Mission. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
