‘Smelling Like the Sheep’: Respect Life Director Reflects on the Legacy of Pope Francis

(Photo provided)

By Cat Kerr/Catholic Charities of Denver

When Emma Ramirez, Director of Respect Life Denver at Catholic Charities, traveled to Rome in the spring of 2014, Pope Francis was in his first year of the papacy.

“There was just an unbelievable amount of excitement,” she recalled. “We had a new pope, and it was the first time many of us were getting to encounter him, even just from a distance. At the papal audience, there was a buzz. It felt like something new was being breathed into the Church.”

That newness would shape her faith and vocation in ways she never expected.

In the summer of 2016, Ramirez read The Name of God is Mercy, a book-length interview with Pope Francis that left a lasting impression. At the same time, she served in Philadelphia with Christ in the City, just a year after Pope Francis had visited the city for the World Meeting of Families. His presence still lingered there.

“We met people experiencing homelessness who had been deeply moved by his visit,” she remembered. “Some weren’t Catholic, some didn’t believe in God, but they remembered seeing him drive by, remembered feeling like he saw them. Like he cared.”

That kind of encounter, of being seen, stuck with Emma. It echoed in Pope Francis’s writing, his witness and especially in the way he spoke about mercy.

“Something that’s just stayed with me is that everyone needs mercy,” Ramirez said. “Even those far from the Church. Even those who say they don’t believe. Everyone is in need of Jesus’s mercy, which is joy and hope.”

Pope Francis, she said, helped her see the world through a different lens, one that refuses to look away from pain or poverty but instead opens itself wide to it and stands beside it.

“He encouraged us to meet people where they are. To be the face of mercy to them. And that doesn’t mean ignoring truth — mercy and truth go hand in hand. It's about loving first. Showing up. Welcoming others into that mercy,” she shared.

One of Pope Francis’ famous quotes guided her path in a particular way: “We are called to smell like the sheep.”

The Holy Father’s words became a mission for Ramirez.

“At Christ in the City, after a long day of street ministry, I’d often come home smelling like cigarette smoke,” she said with a chuckle. “And honestly? It became a nostalgic smell. Because it meant we were there, among the people. That’s where Jesus is. That’s where he wants us to be.”

That calling transformed her life. Though she hadn’t planned on it, Ramirez found herself choosing a life of service — especially with the homeless — as a full-time vocation.

“That wasn’t what I studied. It wasn’t what I thought I’d do,” she explained. “But through Pope Francis’ words, through witnessing how he touched people’s lives, it became clear. This is where the Lord is calling me.”

She points to the Year of Mercy as another turning point for her — a time when the pope extended a wide-open invitation back into the heart of the Church. It was a reminder that no one is too far gone, that reconciliation is always within reach.

“That was his desire: communion, solidarity. He didn’t want anyone excluded from the chance to encounter Jesus, especially through the sacraments,” she said.

Now, as she continues her work with Respect Life Denver within Catholic Charities, Ramirez carries Pope Francis’ legacy forward every day — in mercy, presence and hope.

“Jesus wants to meet these people,” she concluded. “Just as much as he wants to meet me. And Pope Francis helped me believe that. He showed me how to love like that.”