Memorial Mass for Pope Francis Brings Hundreds to St. Louis Cathedral

That humility is a signpost for everyone, Archbishop Aymond said today at St. Louis Cathedral - Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France.

"As a shepherd, he called us to faith and to life with the risen Christ," Archbishop bishop Aymond said. "After his election 12 years ago, he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Square, and his first words as the new pope were, 'Pray for me.' He knew that he needed the strength of God to be a courageous shepherd and to carry out his important responsibilities.

"And, whenever he met people personally, his greeting was always, 'Pray for me.' I remember that so clearly, and so many he did. He was a man of sincerity and humility, and he knew very well that he was dependent upon God, personally as a disciple, and also as the pope of the church."

The archbishop said Pope Francis always chose to think of God and of others before himself.

"When the grain of wheat falls into the ground, it remains the grain of wheat, but when it dies, it produces much fruit and gives life," Archbishop Aymond said. "May I suggest that that describes the way Pope Francis lived his life, his ministry and the way that he embraced his illness. He died to himself to live alone for God and to lead us to Jesus. That was his life."

At the 2013 conclave, the archbishop said Pope Francis had just been elected when a cardinal seated next to him advised him, "Don't forget the poor."

"That led him to take the name Francis, reflecting St. Francis of Assisi, who cared for the poor and the outcast," he said. "Like Jesus and St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis did not see himself as a king, someone enthroned or a powerful ruler. But he saw himself rather as a father in faith, as a brother working and walking with the people. 

"He was a humble man and a man of great integrity, and he was faithful to the Gospel values of Jesus. He certainly lived the Gospel message of Jesus who said, 'When you did it for one of these least of my brothers and sisters, you did it for me."