Habemus Papam!

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, those who know or have worked with him say that  our new Holy Father is a man of great humility and great simplicity, and the very name he has chosen –Francis- (the same name of the Poverello of Assisi) gives us many clues of who he is. On the evening of his election as successor of St. Peter the gesture of having bowed before the people of God gathered in St. Peter's Square was very eloquent. He is 76 and in his home country, Argentina, is a true moral leader forged in times of the worst times of economic crisis suffered by the South American country in recent decades. In Buenos Aires usually he travels by bus, and it is common to see him walking down the street or take the subway as a citizen, but always wears a cassock. It also tends to care personally sick and elderly priests of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. He moved to his home or hospital and serves them overnight. The new Pope Francis I is one of five children of a middle class Italian couple formed by Mario, a railroad worker, and Regina Sivori, housewife. Little by little we will get to know details of his life. Right now, at the beginning of this new time in the Catholic Church… What is the next step? Let us back to our normal activities! Let us still working for the extension of the kingdom of God. That is what follows! Peter's boat has a new captain, yes, and this is very important, however the Church does not hold only with the work and effort of the holy Father and the bishops: our duty is to row with them, and rowing with enthusiasm, with joy. Pope Francis has called for unity, has called us to work and pray with him. It is not important if the new Pope is from South America or the North Pole, if he is yellow or blue, what really matters is that he is a priest –sacerdos in aeternum- with a great love for the Church and for the people of God, he gave us a signal (the first) already with his simple and warm attitude when he stepped onto the balcony to greet everyone. May the Lord grant long live the Pope Francis, and may we will be more committed to our faith. We are living the Year of Faith, a wonderful opportunity to review our souls, to ask for forgiveness, to work hard for God, for the Church and for the men and women around the world, starting with our parish community. God bless you, Pope Francis, in our parish we love you and we are with you! ■ Fr. Agustin, pastor