Extension magazine - Winter 2022

14
BUILD
Cover Story
Extension | Winter 2022 15
‘Your
Holiness,
I feel safe
and loved’
An second grader
from Uvalde asks
Pope Francis to pray
for her slain friend,
whom she depicts
with angel wings in
heaven.
TO READ MORE
LETTERS
What does Pope Francis
see when he
prays for the children
of Uvalde? It is not a hard
question to answer.
When Pope Francis was the
cardinal of Buenos Aires, Ar-
gentina, he regularly
visited hospitals and prisons.
He called them the “places
of pain.” He believed that was
where Jesus’ love was needed
most.
In 2013 Pope Francis chose
a powerful location for his first
Holy Thursday celebration. Instead
of choosing a basilica
in Rome, as had been the tradition,
he chose the Casal del
Marmo, a prison. Another place
of pain. He wanted to be witness
to the strength of the Resurrection
in the wounds of this
world.
In 2019 the pope sent a mes-
These letters to Pope Francis
from the children of Sacred
Heart Catholic School in
Uvalde, Texas, were delivered
to the Holy Father, with some
help from Catholic Extension’s
chancellor, Cardinal
Blase J. Cupich.
More letters from Uvalde can
be accessed at catholicextension.org/letters
TOP Noah is a new student
at Sacred Heart Catholic
School. He was wounded
and survived the shooting at
Robb Elementary. He is one
of many who transferred to
Sacred Heart this fall with a
scholarship from Catholic
Extension. He tells the pope
“he feels safe.”
RIGHT Levi unpacks his
bag on the first day of school
at Sacred Heart in Uvalde.
He is one of more than
30 scholarship recipients
who transferred from Robb
Elementary.
PHOTO JUAN GUAJARDO
sage to all the young people of
the world. It was an exhortation
named “Christ Is Alive.” The
pope opened his heart, sharing
his hopes and dreams for young
Christians and calling them the
“NOW of God.” He called their
hearts “holy ground.”
In “Christ Is Alive” Pope
Francis had a special message
for young people in places of
pain, places where Jesus’ love
would be, wounded places in
the world where the strength of
the Resurrection was needed
most. Places like Uvalde.
This is what the pope wrote:
“[Jesus] is in you, he is with
you and he never abandons
you. ... He is always there, the
Risen One. He calls you, and
he waits for you. ... When you
feel you are growing old out
of sorrow, resentment or fear,
doubt or failure, he will always
be there to restore your
strength and your hope.”
So, what does Pope Francis
see when he prays for the
children of Uvalde? He sees
holy ground. He sees the NOW
of God. He sees the wounds
of the world where Jesus’ love
and the strength of the Resurrection
are needed most. He
sees this for every child who
suffers and calls us to that
same powerful vision.
And to that prayer, we say
AMEN.
A first grader from Uvalde envisions Pope
Francis holding her hand, assuring her of
God’s presence even in the midst of the pain
she has lived through this past year.