A Legacy of Action, Charity and Adoration: Remembering Pope Francis
- Catholic Charities
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Cat Kerr/Catholic Charities of Denver
“The Eucharist was placed on the altar for Adoration,” Jennifer Torres recalls. “And the entire group went silent, like you could hear a pin drop. It was so clear in that moment: we are here because of him. And we’re still here.”
For Torres, who serves in community engagement with Respect Life Denver at Catholic Charities, moments like that are more than memories — they are living reminders of what Pope Francis brought to the Church and the world: a legacy of unity and profound simplicity.
But for her, it started even earlier.
“I guess it kind of started a little before the year Pope Francis was installed,” she said. “That same year was when I reverted to the Catholic faith. It was like a new season for me and for the Church.”
That year laid the groundwork for something deeper. She was abroad in 2016 and managed to get rare tickets for Easter Mass in Rome with her family — something she describes as nothing short of profound.
“It gave me real insight into Pope Francis’s heart for God’s beloved people,” she shared. “And it sparked something in me, a desire to look into my own heart and see how I could love others better.”
From there, the doors of discernment opened wide. Over the past 10 years, Torres has served in missionary work in various capacities, especially among economically marginalized communities. That call to get up and get out — something Pope Francis championed — was not just an invitation for her. It was a call that she wanted to embody fully.
In 2023, she led a group to World Youth Day. Out of more than 70 groups, theirs was chosen to be at the papal altar during the vigil Mass in Lisbon, Portugal — an experience she describes as “very intimate” and deeply moving.
“We have hope for the future,” she shared. “Hope for the youth, for union with the Universal Church, for our Protestant brothers and sisters — and for world peace. Because Jesus brought us here. And this is where we begin.”
There was joy in that silence. A holy stillness that came from a deeper place — from something Pope Francis continually called people to encounter.
“He really created opportunities for people to experience that. That kind of beauty. That kind of joy,” Torres added.
Catholic Charities and Respect Life Denver continue to carry forward the mission Pope Francis championed: quiet, faithful service — often hidden and always humble.
“I was always confident in Catholic Charities’ reputation,” she said. “Not the loud kind of reputation, but the hidden one. The humble one. And I think Pope Francis saw that kind of service as the heart of the Church.”
His call to action was simple, but powerful: get up and get out.
And people listened.
“His call has led many people back to Jesus,” she explained. “I can’t speak for everyone’s conversion or reversion, but I’ve seen it. In peers. In mentors. Even in the people I now get to walk with in discipleship. It’s real.”
That’s the legacy Pope Francis leaves behind — not just in words or policies, but in people. In a new generation of disciples. In the quiet of adoration. In the hope we still carry.
“He brought us here,” Torres concluded. “And this is where we begin.”
