Founder’s Statement on the Legacy of Pope Francis

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

The news of Pope Francis’ passing on April 21, 2025 invites the wider Church and our Mustard Seed Communities family into a sacred pause. Standing in that stillness, one prayer fills my heart: “Thank You, Lord.”

Thank You, Lord, for Pope Francis’ gentle insistence that every face reveals Your image. 

In his final Easter greeting, Pope Francis urged us to “hope anew” and “revive our trust in others, including those who are different from ourselves … for all of us are children of God.” Those words could have been spoken on the very day Mustard Seed Communities was born, when the Holy Spirit whispered that no child ought to be abandoned twice.

Thank You, Lord, for placing the poor at the center of Pope Francis’ pontificate, just as You Yourself chose to dwell among the vulnerable and overlooked.

The Gospel tells us that when Jesus walked the roads of Galilee, He remained with the forgotten and the frail. It was there that He revealed the beauty and splendor of the Kingdom of God. Pope Francis reminded the world that this preferential option for the poor is the beating heart of discipleship.

And so, my friends, we resolve anew: our daily tasks of sheltering, nurturing, and loving our neighbors in the sometimes forgotten corners of Jamaica, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Zimbabwe, and Malawi will be our song of gratitude. 

Let us join hands across continents and pray together: Thank You, Lord, for Pope Francis. May his caring witness kindle a brighter hope in all of us, that the smallest seeds of compassion we plant together today will blossom into a harvest of joy for generations to come.

In Christ,