A Work of Mercy: Catholic High School Students Accompany Unknown Peer at his Funeral
- Guest Contributor
- 6 minutes ago
- 5 min read
By Erin Scherer
Unknown, and yet, accompanied
“What makes this funeral special is that none of us know anything about this man,” said Bishop Jorge Rodriguez. “Perfectly unknown. And, we are here to accompany him.”
On Monday, February 2, seventeen students from Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora and Holy Family High School in Broomfield, as well as a handful of other adults and staff members, attended the funeral of a teenager who died on the streets without known family or friends. The only object found on him was a Rosary in his pocket. Instead of going to class with this young man, the students gathered to pray for the repose of his soul, an act of service and love that cannot be repaid. It’s a work of mercy, in fact.
“You know, in our faith,” Bishop Rodriguez explained to the students, “to bury the dead, what you are doing now, is considered one of the works of mercy, the spiritual work of mercy to accompany them when they’re dying, to accompany them to the cemetery where they are going forth. That’s why the cemetery, Mount Olivet, exists.
“Something that is very hard is to die alone,” he continued. “That makes it meaningful that you are here, that you want to be here.”
The students listened attentively, offering their presence and prayers for a young man they had never met. Two served as lectors for the Mass, while two others were pallbearers.
“Being able to attend the funeral of this young man was a really special experience,” reflected Natalia Kingsley, a senior at Holy Family. “Knowing he didn't have friends or family there was heartbreaking, but it was beautiful to see a small community of teenagers come together to support him.”
“While attending the funeral, I felt gratitude because I was able to go to a funeral and honor someone that I didn't know, who had no family or friends there, while I was with my friends,” agreed Teagan Diaz, also a Holy Family senior.
(Photos courtesy of Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services of Colorado)
Son of God and Our Brother
While the details of his life may remain a mystery, his identity was actually very clear — he was a son of God.
“I never saw his face,” Bishop Rodriguez told the students, “but I know that he has the face of God, because he is created in the image and likeness of God. That makes him a very important person. Why? God’s desire for this young man is to be with him.”
Kingsley reflected on that same truth.
“Even though I didn’t know him, I still know he was a human being and most importantly one of God’s children,” she said.
Since we are all sons and daughters in Christ, we are actually one family, which made the early February funeral service all the more moving, as young people came together in that faith-filled family to pray for a near-unknown young man.
“We understand that every human being is made in God’s image and likeness. This beautiful human being was our brother in Christ,” shared Gary Schaaf, executive director of Catholic Funeral and Cemetery Services.
“Because he is God’s child, his beloved child — like you, like me — because Jesus Christ loved him so much that he died for him, so now things have come to make sense. No, he is not a totally unknown man, a young man on the earth. No. He is our brother! He is our brother because we have the same Father,” Bishop Rodríguez emphasized. “He is the one who has been destined to Heaven as we are! He is a family member. Now it makes sense that you are here. Your brother passed. Your brother passed, and we want to pray for him.”
That insight struck attendees deeply. For Diaz, seeing things in this new light was powerful.
“Bishop made a great point that we are all brothers and sisters of Christ,” she recognized. “Although none of us knew him personally, we all shared that in common.”
Noah Willy, a student at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden who also attended the funeral, reflected on the Beatitudes.
"‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.’ I never really knew what that meant until I had the privilege and honor of attending this young man’s funeral,” he shared. “It's a tragedy that he died, especially so young. Even though I didn't know him personally, I did know he was one of God's children. Being there for him has left a profound impact on me, and I continue to pray for his soul."
Mary’s Intercession
Before incensing the casket, Bishop Rodriguez paused, closing the book of prayers. Moved to offer one final reflection, he spoke of the Rosary found in the young man’s pocket.
“What does it mean to have a Rosary in his pocket?” he asked. “When you put a Rosary in your pocket, it’s like you are asking for Mary’s protection. So, we know that he cared about the mother of Jesus, that he believed in her protection, and that when he died, he died accompanied by Jesus’ Mother.”
But not just that.
“And, then, the mother of Jesus, who loves her child, has made it possible for him to have a funeral Mass with all of you here,” he concluded, turning to the casket. “So, you didn’t go alone. We are here for you.”
The Rosary in the young man’s pocket, something that appeared so small, was indeed very significant. Through Mary’s intercession, he received a dignified funeral Mass, celebrated by a bishop and attended by peers he never knew in this life. Even in the end, he was not alone.
“I'm grateful for the experience to be able to honor this soul who may have felt alone throughout his life, but he died with an army of people continuing to support him even after his death, which is just beautiful,” shared Kingsley.
“To celebrate the funeral of a young man who was completely unknown, who passed away alone and ignored by society,” reflected Bishop Rodríguez, “I believe, made all of us value the deepest truth of this young man: I don’t know his name, but I know that he is my brother. We come from the same Father.
“His mother, here on earth, perhaps felt that her son was in danger, but she does not know, nor will she know, that he has died,” he continued. “But this young man has a Mother in Heaven that will surely receive him with open arms.”
On an unusually warm and sunny February afternoon, the students accompanied their brother to his final resting place. And they continue to accompany him still, through prayer.
