21/04/2025
TO: THE CLERGY, CONSECRATED PERSONS, AND LAY FAITHFUL OF THE DIOCESE OF CABANATUAN
RE: IN LOVING REMEMBRANCE OF HIS HOLINESS, POPE FRANCIS
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Peace in the Risen Lord.
As we continue to celebrate the joy of the Resurrection, our hearts are also weighed with grief, for we have lost His Holiness Pope Francis. He was a spiritual father who shepherded us with extraordinary humility, courage, and compassion.
Pope Francis, in his over twelve years as Bishop of Rome, served the Church with a heart molded in the Gospel. He was a pastor who “smelled like his sheep”—unafraid to draw near to the wounds of the world, and tireless in his call for a Church that goes forth: a Church of the poor, for the poor, and with the poor. He invited us to rediscover the joy of the Gospel, the necessity of mercy, and the urgency of mission. His words stirred consciences, but more powerfully, his gestures touched hearts.
In communion with the Universal Church, I enjoin all Parishes, Religious Communities, and Chaplaincies in the Diocese of Cabanatuan to observe the following acts of prayer and remembrance on Friday, April 25, 2025:
• At 4:30 PM, hold a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration for the eternal repose of the soul of Pope Francis, entrusting him to the merciful love of the Risen Christ.
• At 5:30 PM, celebrate a Mass for the Eternal Repose of Pope Francis. Since we are at the Octave of Easter, we will use the prayers and readings of Easter. Kindly add an intention in the Prayer of the Faithful for the Pope. Kindly note the following in the Eucharistic Prayer:
Tagalog
Ama,
lingapin mo ang iyong Simbahang
laganap sa buong daigdig.
Puspusin mo kami sa pag-ibig
Kaisa ni Prudencio, na aming Obispo*
at ng tanang kaparian.
Alalahanin mo si FRANCISCO, na tinawag mo
mula sa daigdig na ito.
Noong siya’y binyagan,
siya’y nakaisa ni Kristo sa pagkamatay.
Ngayong siya’y pumanaw,
nawa’y maka-isa siya ni Kristo sa pagkabuhay.
English
Remember, Lord, your Church,
spread throughout the world,
and bring her to the fullness of charity,
together with Prudencio, our Bishop and all the clergy.
Remember your servant FRANCIS
whom you have called from this world to yourself.
Grant that he who was united with your Son in a death like his,
may also be one with him in his Resurrection.
May the soul of Pope Francis, faithful servant and Vicar of Christ, rest in the peace that he so often proclaimed.
With my paternal blessing and prayerful solidarity,
(sgd) ✠ PRUDENCIO P. ANDAYA, JR., CICM, D.D.
Bishop of Cabanatuan
