“Welcome Everyone,” declares a sign outside St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Maplewood. Between the words “Welcome” and “Everyone” — a photo of Pope Francis with this quote: “All persons are the children of God, all persons. God does not reject anybody. God is a father. And I have no right to expel anyone from the Church.”
The sign and message are not new to St. Joseph’s. Long before Francis’s death today at age 88, St. Joseph Church in Maplewood has embraced his message of humility and inclusivity.
The church community, led in recent years by Fr. Jim Worth, has welcomed LGBTQ+ members of the church, including hosting Fr. James Martin, SJ in February 2020 to discuss his book Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion and Sensitivity.
St. Joe’s has also been supportive of Maplewood’s Ukrainian Catholic Orthodox community and Fr. Sviatoslav Hot of Holy Ascension, raising funds and collecting items for donation following the Russian invasion and continuing its support throughout the ongoing war.
The parish has also been welcoming to the neurodiverse, with Worth crafting virtual concerts for a parishioner with Autism and the church recently opening a “first-of-its-kind” sensory room for neurodivergent parishioners. St. Joe’s also hosts St. Joseph’s Workers4Justice, a group organized as part of the “global social justice movement against systemic racism.”
A sign featuring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. bookends another sign with Pope Francis on the steps outside St. Joseph’s Church in Maplewood.
Today, Worth posted on Facebook, “Our shrine with a candle lit in loving memory of Pope Francis. Our church is open for prayer today and always…”.
This afternoon, the church was quiet and dim with the altar bathed in purple light, signifying penance, preparation and mourning, and with daylight streaming through a stained glass window with a verse from Luke 2:7 that is often invoked by those drawing parallels between the Holy Family and refugees or migrants: “There was no room for them in the inn.” 
Local Catholics beyond St. Joe’s were obviously also mourning Pope Francis today. Cardinal Joseph Tobin who leads the Archdiocese of Newark — of which St. Joseph’s is a member parish — shared the following statement on the death of Pope Francis:
With profound sorrow and heartfelt gratitude, I join the Church in mourning the death of our beloved Holy Father, Pope Francis, a shepherd who walked closely with God’s people and never tired of reminding us of God’s mercy. He was a man of deep faith, profound humility, and unshakable hope — a servant whose tireless call to care for the poor and the marginalized will continue to inspire the Church for generations to come.
In this Easter season, as we proclaim that Christ is risen and death is not the end, we entrust Pope Francis to the risen Lord whom he followed so faithfully. May Christ, our hope and resurrection, welcome him into the fullness of joy and peace.
Let us give thanks for his life, his witness, and his love for the People of God. And may we honor his memory by building a Church that reflects the face of Jesus — merciful, welcoming, and always near to those on the margins.
Cardinal Tobin will celebrate a Mass for “the repose of the soul” of Pope Francis on Tuesday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark.
