Catholics across the Bay Area mourned the passing of Pope Francis on Monday, honoring his legacy as a compassionate, progressive leader of the Catholic Church.
At St. Joseph’s Cathedral in San Jose, the usually quiet weekday Mass drew a larger crowd than normal, filling up more than half the pews. Worshippers came to pray and reflect on the life of the first Latin American pope, who championed immigrants, environmental protection and compassion for marginalized communities.
San Jose Bishop Oscar Cantú, who presided over Monday’s Mass, said Francis had a profound impact on the faithful — and on him personally.
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“I was one of two delegates from the U.S. who accompanied him on his journey to Mexico,” Cantú said. “When I saw him weeks later, he reflected on his experience in Ciudad Juárez, at the border. That experience really impacted him — people seeking safety, hope for a new life. Certainly, those are elements that all of humanity is for.”
In his homily, Cantú described Francis as a beacon of hope in a time of cynicism and disillusionment.
“There is a tendency to give up on humanity, politics, government — even the church,” Cantú said. “Francis gives us that clear message that we can’t give up. We must be a people of hope.”
Among those in attendance were Kevin and Jenny Rose Bernaga, a San Jose couple who met Francis in October during their honeymoon at the Vatican, where they received the “Sposi Novelli” blessing for newlyweds.
“We were seated with hundreds of newlyweds from around the world, and even though there were thousands of people at St. Peter’s Square, he made us feel like we were the only ones there,” Kevin Bernaga said. “He didn’t rush.”
The couple brought a white zucchetto — a skullcap worn by clerics — that the Pope had briefly worn before handing it back to them as a gift.
“He looked at it, placed it on his head, smiled, and handed it back to me,” Bernaga recalled. “He said, ‘This is now for you. This is your gift.’”
Cantú, a Mexican American who became bishop of San Jose in 2018, said he hopes the church continues on the path Francis helped pave.
“There are some things we cannot go back on,” he said. “Once we’ve listened to people, they’re more open to what we have to say. That element of going to the peripheries — we can’t go back on that.”
The Diocese of San Jose, one of three major Catholic jurisdictions in the Bay Area alongside the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the Diocese of Oakland, serves roughly 525,000 Catholics across 54 parishes.
In Daly City — where 33% of the population is Filipino, the highest concentration in the United States — Francis holds a special place in the hearts of many. In the Philippines, where more than 80% of the population identifies as Catholic, his legacy resonates deeply.
Daly City Councilmember Juslyn Manalo, a Filipino American and lifelong Catholic, said the pope’s death is being felt across her community.
“Pope Francis reminded the world constantly that we must remember our humanity toward each other,” Manalo said. “Growing up Catholic from birth, the Christian community here in the Bay Area and San Mateo mourns a spiritual leader who leaves a legacy of service.”
At the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, Rev. Stephen Barber told parishioners during midday Mass that Francis had a special affection for the East Bay.
“Though our hearts are tinged with sorrow for the loss of Pope Francis, we pray that he quickly passes through the holy gates to the kingdom of God,” he said.
Bishop Michael C. Barber of Oakland, the first American bishop appointed by Francis in 2013, remembered the pontiff fondly.
“Together with the whole Church, we in the Diocese of Oakland mourn the passing of our Holy Father Pope Francis,” Barber said. “He was one of a kind. He will be forever known as ‘The Pope of Mercy.’”
Francis declared 2016 the “Holy Year of Mercy,” which Barber said inspired countless acts of charity and reconciliation.
Outside the Oakland cathedral, parishioners Gaylord and Corazon Luciano said they had watched a video of Francis meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance the night before the pope’s death. News of his passing the following morning left them stunned.
“He always cared for those who are poor and poor in spirit,” Corazon Luciano said. “He promoted peace, especially for migrants. He influenced so many world leaders. In 12 years, he accomplished so much.”
She added: “I’m including in my prayers that there will be a good pope, better than him, who will care for people and peace in the world.”
In Half Moon Bay, Belinda Arriaga, a mental health counselor who works with migrant farmworkers, said the pope was a symbol of justice and inclusion.
“He was an icon of hope and justice during a time we are divided by hate and othering,” Arriaga said. “He was the pope of migrants and refugees, embracing the suffering with care and representing true compassion and commitment to human rights, dignity, equality and faith in action.”