Archbishop Bernard Hebda will celebrate a Mass for the repose of the soul of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at noon June 29 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul. The Mass was originally scheduled for Jan. 4, but was postponed due to a snowstorm.
An ice cream social will follow the Mass in the Cathedral Courtyard.
The Mass will include a piece of music composed by Jacob Flaherty, director of sacred music at Holy Family in St. Louis Park, that was inspired by Pope Benedict’s reported last words: “Lord, I love you.” After several musical performances Dec. 31, the day the pope died, Flaherty set to work composing a piece to pay tribute.
“It was written with love in mind,” Flaherty said. “Pope Benedict XVI had a great influence on my life, on the way I thought about the faith. He had a profound goodness and kindness about him.”
Archbishop Hebda has fond memories of the late pope, dating back to his time in Rome while Pope Benedict XVI was leading the Church.
“I was in St. Peter’s Square the evening that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected as successor of St. Peter, and I recall his amazement that the cardinals gathered in conclave had chosen to elect a ‘humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord,’” Archbishop Hebda said. “I had already personally experienced his exceptional kindness and had long admired his world-class intellect, but my love and respect for him grew as the world came to know him as a humble and selfless shepherd, with a unique gift for proclaiming the truth with love. It was only my confidence in his discernment that led me to say ‘yes’ when I was named by him in 2009 to serve as a diocesan bishop. I will always be grateful for his magnanimity and example.”
