As we collectively mourn the loss of Pope Francis, our Holy Father, we offer you this compilation of resources for personal and ministerial use. We pray that they provide solace, comfort, and hope in the Resurrection.
May his soul and all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Liturgical Resources
USCCB – Liturgical Notes and Musical Resources upon the Death of Pope Francis:
FDLC — Resources on the Death of Pope Francis:
Ms. Kathleen Pluth has composed “Hymn for the Soul of a Pope,” a hymn text set to AURELIA. It is free to use through the end of May 2025.
Chant and Antiphon Resources
We thank Angela Marie Rocchio of the International Chant Academy (ICA) for her help in compiling these valuable resources. For more information about the ICA, visit www.chantacademy.com.
The Simple English Propers (Adam Bartlett) contain music for a funeral/memorial Mass, starting at page 414 (PDF page 435). They are in chant notation. Recordings of these can be found by clicking here (scroll all the way to the bottom of the page).
- The Roman Missal includes in its propers “FOR THE POPE” on page 1243 this text for communion: “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Adam Bartlett has a setting for this in his Simple English Propers, page 376 (PDF page 397, link found above).
- CanticaNova has the music for John Paul II’s funeral listed here on their website. It includes a number of chants, including many of the traditional funeral propers: Requiem introit, Lux aeterna for communion, and In paradisum for recessional, as well as Mass XVIII.
Luke Massery has reworked the proper texts into standard hymn tunes on his site, Catholic Antiphon Renewal.
Introit for a funeral Mass in the Easter Season, can be found here:
- Other funeral/memorial Mass introit options, with a variety of hymn tunes, can be found by clicking here. Scroll down to Solemnities, Feasts, and Proper of Saints, and all the way down to November 2.
- For offertory antiphon hymn options, click here and scroll all the way down to SAINTS AND SOLEMNITIES, November 2.
Quotes From Pope Francis
“If one day you are overcome by fears and worries, think of that episode in the Gospel of John, at the marriage at Cana (John 2:1– 12), and say to yourselves: The best wine has yet to be served.”
―Hope: The Autobiography
“To have hope doesn’t mean being naïve optimists who ignore the tragedy of human evil. Hope is the virtue of a heart that doesn’t close itself in the dark, doesn’t stop at the past, doesn’t scrape along in the present, but can clearly see tomorrow.”
―Hope: The Autobiography
“The secret of Christian living is love. Only love fills the empty spaces caused by evil.”
“Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude.”
―General Audience, March 21, 2014
“The Lord never tires of forgiving. It is we who tire of asking for forgiveness.”