photo by: Emma Delk

The Most Rev. Mark Brennan, bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston,m reflects on Pope Francis’ impact on the Northern Panhandle and the selection of the next Pope on Monday at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling.

WHEELING — As a bishop in a state that he has heard described as “flyover country,” the Most Rev. Mark Brennan of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese, believes the late Pope Francis’ message of reaching out to the marginalized resonated strongly in the Northern Panhandle.

Francis, 88, passed away early Monday. He made his last public appearance on Easter Sunday in St. Peter’s Square and met with Vice President JD Vance.

Brennan, who was named a bishop by Francis, said he prayed for two things on Easter Sunday — that Francis’ health improved enough for him to continue his duties as the visible head of the Catholic Church or that if it was “Francis’ time in God’s plan,” his death happened quickly and peacefully.

“God answered my second prayer, but actually answered the first one, too,” Brennan said. “The pope was working on Easter Sunday and appeared to the people briefly. He had an interview with our vice president, so he worked right up to the end.”

Monday marked the first day of a nine-day mourning period for the leader of the Roman Catholic church called “Novena.” The first local Memorial Mass for Francis was held on Monday night at the Cathedral of St. John’s in Wheeling, with Masses to be held on each of the following eight nights at the cathedral throughout the mourning period.

Wheeling University will also honor Pope Francis during a Memorial Mass on Tuesday, April 29, at 12:10 p.m. at the Chapel of Mary and Joseph on campus. The public is invited to attend the Mass.

“Like we do with anyone we love or even people we don’t know, when we hear that they’ve died, we pray for them, we commend them to God,” Brennan said. “Let us do that for brother Francis, who served God, the church and beyond for all of his adult life, right up to the age of 88. Let’s pray to commend him to God.”

Brennan reflected on Francis’ legacy on Monday, noting that the church had been “blessed in modern times” with “many excellent popes who cared about people in many different ways.” He described Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, as “very scholarly” with a “gift for expressing the faith that helped people understand it.”

Brennan said that Francis continued the tradition of Benedict’s predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who “met with and reached out to people.” He pointed to Francis’ actions, such as washing the feet of inmates at a prison in Rome on Holy Thursday last year, as examples of him carrying on the tradition of reaching out to marginalized groups.

“I think that kind of legacy will continue,” Brennan said. “I think whoever’s elected Pope will be conscious that the Pope has to really care about people who are suffering.”

Brennan believes Francis’ message of care for the suffering particularly resonated in West Virginia. Brennan described Francis as a “sign of hope” for people on the margins in the Northern Panhandle.

“Francis is a sign of hope and real respect for many of our folks in this part of the state that are kind of on the margins economically,” Brennan said. “Our state is a wonderful palace, but I think in some ways, we’re on the margins regarding wealth and power. People resonated with a Pope who reached out to people on the margins in many different ways.

“Overall, he was so well-respected and loved by our people,” Brennan continued.

Catholic Charities President & CEO Mark Phillips said Francis’ care for the marginalized guided the organization, which provides social services in the state.

“Pope Francis was a real leader, especially on issues of poverty and the need for Catholics and all Christian people to alleviate poverty, not just by giving and helping, but also looking at the underlying systems that allow poverty to continue,” Phillips said. “He really challenged us to do the work of justice and ensure that inequality can’t continue. Francis was always sort of a North Star for us, calling us to be in solidarity with people living in poverty.”

As their “North Star,” Phillips said Francis called on the organization to continually recognize the Catholic social teaching of “preferential option for the poor.” Phillips said this is a “key characteristic” of the religion that pushes Catholics to prioritize the well-being of the poor and recognize “care for our common good.”

“The care for our common good is not just only for one another, but our place,” Phillips said. “In a place like West Virginia, where people are so tied to the hills, we really have to be cognizant. We tried to heed that call from Francis to recognize the link between our place and the people in it.”

Phillips added that Francis “pushed” the organization to continually examine elected leaders, church leaders and school leaders to ensure they recognize people in poverty in the state and are looking for ways to “ensure equity for all people.”

“In an area like West Virginia, it’s very easy to kind of put blinders on and only see the people that your kids go to school with or who you’re eating dinner with,” Phillips said. “In our state, where the poverty rate is so high, we really need to ensure that we’re continually looking to our neighbors and finding ways to ensure equity for all people.”

Beyond providing a guide for Catholic organizations in the state, Brennan noted that Francis was a source of inspiration for WV residents who may have felt looked down upon due to the state’s financial status.

“There can be a thought that we don’t matter as a state and we’re a little place with country bumpkins that don’t know anything,” Brennan said. “My experience here is absolutely the opposite. There are great people in West Virginia who are hospitable, intelligent and care about things. I think people can feel that we’re kind of looked down upon by some of the high and mighty in our country, but Francis was a Pope who cared about people like us.

“I think there’ll be a lot of mourning that we lost a good man, but God will provide us with another,” Brennan continued.

Regarding selecting the next pope, Brennan said he knew many of the American cardinals in the conclave and felt they would strive to make a “good choice.” He believes the next pope would carry forward the “concern for the poor and marginalized” that Francis demonstrated.

“I think recent popes have really tried to build on the work of their predecessors,” Brennan said. “We’ve been blessed in my lifetime with just wonderful, visible heads of the Catholic Church — the popes, the bishops of Rome. I think the concern for preaching the gospel and reaching out to people with a message of the love of Christ will continue.”

The Rev. Dave Pivonka, TOR, president of Franciscan University of Steubenville, shook hands with Pope Francis during a private audience in December 2024. (Photo Provided)

Bishop Edward Lohse, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Steubenville, spent years in Rome for work. He said Francis’ “warmth, compassion and fidelity to the faith” were exhibited clearly whenever he saw or heard the Pope in person.

Lohse will offer a Mass for the repose of the pope’s soul today at 5:15 p.m. at Holy Rosary Church, 280 Rosemont Ave., Steubenville. The faithful are invited to attend and pray for Francis.

Lohse agreed that Francis’ love of those on the edges was one of his most endearing qualities.

“Pope Francis will be known for calling the church to reach out actively to our brothers and sisters who live ‘in the periphery,’ as he was accustomed to say,” Lohse said. “He will be remembered for his teaching … but most especially, I think that he will be remembered for his compassion toward those who find themselves struggling with life, faith or hope.”

Franciscan University of Steubenville students and staff mourned Francis’ death during a memorial service led by university president the Rev. Dave Pivonka, TOR, who was given a private audience with the pope in December.

“Franciscan University joins the church in mourning the passing of Pope Francis, a shepherd who tirelessly preached the saving message of Jesus Christ and the joy of the Gospel,” Pivonka said. “I will always be grateful for the primacy that our holy father placed on the (gospel message) and the saving work of Jesus, reminding us that the saving actions of Jesus are for all people.”

Christopher Dacanay contributed to this report.