From St Peter’s Square: A Final Tribute to Pope Francis

Reflection written by Kate Wilkinson, CEO of Million Minutes

Today, as I sit in St Peter’s Square, surrounded by people from every corner of the world and to my delight a huge amount of young people, I find myself reflecting on the extraordinary life and pontificate of Pope Francis. The weight of this moment is hard to put into words. 

We have lost a pastor, a teacher and for us at Million Minutes: a guiding light. The atmosphere here is quite solemn, but there is a huge feeling of gratitude. That gratitude was shown so beautifully to me in the many rounds of applause that echoed around St Peter’s square as the Pope’s mortal remains were processed into the square at the beginning of the funeral mass and at the end as he made his final journey to his resting place. The crowds of young people, originally here for the Jubilee of Teenagers sum up for me the incredible legacy of Pope Francis. 200,000 of them are here, with flags and banners thanking Pope Francis for all he has done for them and the Church. Speaking to some of them, they see Pope Francis as someone who created space for them in the Church, a place where they could belong and be themselves. Many speak of how he has inspired them to strive to make the world a better place and stand up for the rights of others and against injustice. Many speak of his witness and the love that he showed to others, particularly the poor and the marginalized. I can’t help but feel that it is absolute providence that the Pope’s death and funeral coincided with this Jubilee of Teenagers, it showed the true reach of his pontificate and example. The crowd gathered for this funeral Mass shows the diversity of the Church and the diversity of all those deeply affected by his life and example. The presence of the young people in St Peter’s square this morning brought a hopeful atmosphere; although a sad and solemn occasion, the young people wanted to celebrate the life of this wonderful man, and their witness to the resurrection hope and joy was felt by everyone gathered.  

From the moment Pope Francis stepped onto the balcony in 2013, he made it clear that his mission would be one of simplicity, humility and radical closeness to people, especially the young, the poor and the excluded. He didn’t just talk about young people; he listened to them. He made space for them. He believed in them. For all of us who work with young people, that belief is something more than comforting, it was a challenge to do better, a call to action. His words in Christus Vivit still echo in my mind today. He reminded the Church, and the world, that young people are not ‘the future’, they are the present. They have dreams, voices and ideas that are needed here and now, and our job is to walk beside them. That belief has shaped the work of Million Minutes in many ways. It gave us permission to think bigger about what young people could do, and it reminded us that the Church should always be a place where they are seen, heard and celebrated.  

Pope Francis spoke often of accompaniment, about walking with people on the adventure of their life. That’s what we strive to do in every conversation, every project and every partnership. His example of leadership, a leadership rooted in mercy, compassion and deep listening, set a standard we will continue to aspire to.  

Today, as I sit here after his funeral, I know we haven’t just lost a pope. We’ve lost a friend to the young, a voice of the voiceless, and a leader who truly believed the Church could be better, braver and more loving if we let young people help to shape its future. Pope Francis’s final gift to us is the ongoing challenge to build that kind of world. His legacy lives on every time a young person is given space to lead, every time their voices are heard and every time the Church opens its doors wider than before.  

On behalf of everyone at Million Minutes and the many young people whose lives have been touched by his words and witness, thank you Pope Francis. You walked with us. You believed in us, and we will carry your vision forward.  

May you rest in peace, good and faithful servant.  

From Silence to Action: Young People Act Loud for Change this Lent

This year Million Minutes ran SiLENT 2025, our Lent fundraising campaign. However, we wanted to introduce something new. We wanted to really empower participants to turn those moments of silent reflection and prayer into action: so we introduced ActLoud.

The enthusiastic response to this new element of the campaign has been amazing to see, so we wanted to use this post to highlight some of the impressive stories we have heard about what young people have been up to and how they have gotten involved in their communities - embracing silence and acting loud. 

Action Impact Youth Group of St Bede's Catholic High School, Lytham St Annes

St Bede’s Catholic High School committed themselves to ActLoud, where they worked with the Salvation Army in Blackpool, providing them with a donation of £300 for the Bridge Project, which feeds vulnerable people at lunchtime; they also donated a further £100 towards providing Easter eggs for disadvantaged children.

This fundraising was carried out by a group of Year 8 students, as part of an youth-led inter-faith project from St Bede's working with support from the Sisters of St Joseph of the Peace based in Nottingham.

Romero Impact Youth Group of Our Lady's Catholic High School, Preston

Year 8 students of the Romero Impact Youth Group, with the help of School Chaplain Sarah Lee, were inspired to organise a cake sale in school to raise funds for the Salvation Army Foodbank in Preston to support vulnerable families, and provide Easter eggs for disadvantaged children.

The youth group alongside Year 9 students also visit a Community Care Home project every two weeks, talking and playing games with the care home's residents.

Students of McAuley Catholic High School, Doncaster

Students in the upper school have taken part in SiLENT in various ways, including: having silent form prayer on Friday mornings, handing their phones to the Chaplain for the day, and some have even pledged their own personal silence.

Meanwhile, for Act Loud, both the lower and upper school have: gotten involved in litter-picking on the school's grounds, building a "kindness wall" with messages of hope, as well as raising awareness of social justice issues during assembly time.

The SiLENT 2025 campaign has truly been a beacon of inspiration, showcasing the power of silence and action in creating meaningful change. The creativity and dedication of young people from across these schools have been nothing short of remarkable. 

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all who have donated, participated, and supported SiLENT 2025. Your contributions have not only helped amplify the voices of young people but have also created ripples of hope and justice in communities far and wide. Together, you've made this campaign extraordinary.

Here's to continuing the journey of silence, reflection, and action in the years to come!

Welcome to Kate - Our Incoming CEO

Kate joins us as CEO with over a decade of experience in Catholic education and Catholic youth ministry; she has worked to inspire action, nurture spirituality and create opportunities for meaningful change. Kate is a former National President of the Young Christian Workers, has been involved in work nationally linked with the Universal Synod on Synodality as well as the Archdiocese of Liverpool’s 2020 synod and has worked as a school and college chaplain. She holds a BA in Theology from Heythrop College, University of London, and is currently completing an MA in Catholic Theology at the Centre for Catholic Studies, Durham University. Kate is also the current Provincial Coordinator for the Salesian Cooperators in Great Britain. 

Originally from Manchester, Kate now lives in Blackburn and is excited to bring her passion for empowering young people and promoting Catholic Social Teaching to Million Minutes.