The Waterloo Catholic District School Board joins Catholics around the world in mourning the passing of our Holy Father, Pope Francis.
As the first Jesuit and the first pope from the Americas, Pope Francis will be remembered for his quiet strength, pastoral heart, and unwavering call for the Church to lead with compassion, accompany the vulnerable, and care for our common home.
Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis embodied a spirit of mercy—urging us to choose empathy over judgment and to walk alongside those often left at the margins. With Laudato Si’, he called the world to see environmental care as a moral duty. In every act of leadership, he uplifted the dignity of the poor, the displaced, and the forgotten.
We give thanks for a life poured out in service to God and humanity—a life marked by tenderness, conviction and unwavering hope.
May he rest in peace.
