Pope Francis shaped Bishop Ronald A. Hicks’ path from priesthood to the episcopacy — a legacy Hicks reflected on with gratitude and admiration in a video shared by the Joliet Diocese after the pope’s passing Monday.

Hicks shared he met the pope three times over the years, and though their conversations would begin in English, Italian or Latin, they always returned to Spanish because “it was very comfortable” for them.

“That way I got to know not only the pope, but I also got to communicate face-to-face with him and see the love and the joy that exuded from him,” Hicks said.

Hicks is a Southland native who was born in Harvey and raised in South Holland. He attended St. Jude the Apostle Parish and grade school in South Holland and graduated in 1985 from Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, on 77th Street and Western Avenue.

He also served roughly four years at Saint Elizabeth Seton Parish in Orland Hills. His parents lived in Tinley Park when he was named the sixth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Joliet in 2020.

Hicks said Pope Francis will be remembered for his deep compassion and outreach to “those on the margins of the Church and of society,” in a statement shared by the diocese.

The Argentine-born Jorge Mario Bergoglio became the first Latin American pope when he was elected in 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

“When he was elected he took the name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi and for his concern for the poor,” Hicks said in the video.

The bishop described the late pope as someone who lived a life of “humble service.”

He said Francis “loved everyone,” and was deeply compassionate, approachable and unwavering in his care for the poor, hungry, exiled, unborn and persecuted.

Chicago Archdiocese

In June 2015, seven months into his tenure as archbishop of Chicago, Blase Cupich was invited to Vatican City for a one-on-one conversation with Pope Francis.

The meeting, Cupich’s first with the pontiff, was held at the pope’s residence, Domus Santa Marta.

Immediately, Francis put the nervous Cupich at ease.

“He started the conversation by saying he wanted to meet the person he appointed to Chicago,” Cupich recalled in an interview Monday. “And I said I wanted to meet the person who appointed me to Chicago.”

As their talk wound to a close, Francis stood to show Cupich to the elevator.

“I said, ‘I know where it is,’” Cupich recalled. And Francis, flashing a smile that endeared him to Catholics worldwide, replied: “I just want to make sure you don’t take anything.”

“Then, he stopped me and he got serious,” Cupich continued. “He put his hand on my arm and said, ‘I just want to tell you from the first moment I was elected pope I felt this rush of God’s presence and the Holy Spirit in my life and it’s never left me.’

He could switch from something comical to something serious. He was a man who could be serious but never took himself seriously.”

The encounter is one of many fond memories Cupich has of the 88-year-old pope.

“I come away with deep sorrow at his passing,” Cupich said, “but also with deep gratitude that I’ve been blessed to be a part of his time as pope.”

Cupich, whom Francis elevated to the College of Cardinals in 2016, said he would soon head to Rome for Francis’ funeral. Eventually, he and his fellow cardinals will convene to select Francis’ successor.

While Cupich declined to discuss what he was looking for in the next pope, citing the emotion of Francis’ death, he said he hoped the person would continue some of Francis’ initiatives.

“He felt strongly in making sure the church would be a servant, to be a field hospital,” Cupich said.

“He was very close to people who were in some way wounded, who were hurting. If you look at the Gospels, the first thing about Jesus is he’s known as a healer. The pope was very attuned to that. He wanted to make sure we were attentive to the suffering.”

Memorials

Before he leaves for Rome, Cupich will preside over a memorial Mass for Francis at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Holy Name Cathedral.

The Diocese of Joliet will hold a remembrance Mass for Pope Francis beginning with a Jubilee Year Reconciliation service at 6 p.m. and Mass at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus in Joliet, according to the diocesan communications office.

Hicks encouraged members of the Catholic Church to reflect on the passing of Pope Francis within the context of the Jubilee Year of Hope — a Holy Year celebrated every 25 years, offering Catholics a special opportunity to grow closer to God through acts of grace, prayer and repentance.

In a statement, Hicks wrote Pope Francis used the Jubilee as an opportunity to call the faithful to a “profound hope: one that is not an empty or naïve hope, but one grounded in the promise of Almighty God to be with us always.”

In Oak Lawn, St. Catherine of Alexandria Parish announced on Facebook that it will begin a nine-day prayer for the repose of Pope Francis’ soul. The parish will also hold a memorial Mass in his honor at 7 p.m. on April 29.

St. George Catholic Church in Tinley Park posted on Facebook the church is holding a remembrance mass at 7 p.m. on Friday.