1979 — ordained priest 2013 – 2025
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
— Saint Augustine
The words of Jesus in the gospel in today’s Mass are especially poignant for the Diocese of Paterson as we mourn the sudden passing of our brother and a beloved pastor, Reverend Rafael Ciro. The Lord exhorts us to be attentive to his grace that consoles us with his presence in this fleeting life, “So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come (Matthew 24: 44). Father Rafael departed this life so unexpectedly yesterday that we remain thunderstruck by the suddenness of his passing.
As a grieving family, we prepare to hand Father Rafael back to Almighty God with gratitude for his life and with prayer for the Lord’s never-failing mercy. Upon finalization of funeral arrangements, that information will be publicly shared.
We are brothers and sisters in Christ, expressing our closeness to Father Ciro’s beloved mother and brothers, now grieving his passing with broken hearts. Mrs. Ciro and Father Rafael’s brothers will no doubt find courage in the outpouring of love and affection by the parishioners of Saint Stephen’s parish for their beloved pastor. We pray, too, for the people of Saint Stephen’s and for the presbyterate of the Diocese of Paterson, mourning a brother.
Celebrating the Feast of Saint Augustine today, the introduction to his Confessions is instructive: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” As we offer our prayers for Father Rafael, we hold fast to the hope that he lives with God and in the peace he longed for in this life. We thank God for Father Rafael, and we will miss him beyond what words can convey.
The certain faith that Father Rafael lived by and preached in the Name of the Lord is that in death, “life is changed, not ended.” At our baptism, we are clothed in immortality. We pray that through the infinite mercy of God, Father Rafael finds embrace in the dwelling in heaven prepared for all of the faithful.
May he rest in peace. Amen.
Statement of the Diocese of Paterson on the Death of Reverend Rafael Ciro