Missionary for Pope Francis offers to pay for Riley Strain’s funeral

Kendall Ashman
·2 min read
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKRN) — A missionary for Pope Francis is offering to pay all of Riley Strain’s funeral costs.

Earlier this month, the 22-year-old University of Missouri student was visiting Nashville on a fraternity trip when he disappeared. After a two-week search, his body was found in the Cumberland River last Friday.

For weeks, Riley Strain’s disappearance captured the attention of people across the country, including Father Jim.

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“Our heart broke. Here was a young, vibrant individual and we all felt, what can we do?” said Father Jim Sichko, Papal Missionary of Mercy for Pope Francis.

Father Sichko is based out of Lexington, Kentucky. He is one of over 700 priests who were chosen to serve for the Papal Missionary of Mercy for Pope Francis.

“Of the over the 700 of us we all have various charisms, I happen to be one that spends my full-time ministry preaching and doing random acts of kindness and mercy throughout the world,” Sichko said.

His acts of kindness include taking to social media, where he asked for help to connect with Strain’s family. “Social media can be both a strength and a weakness and this is showing the strength and the good of social media.”

Once social media connected him to Strain’s family, Father Jim offered to pay all of his funeral costs. “I reached out and said, ‘Look you don’t know me, but this is the ministry I am part of, how can I help?’”

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As Easter Sunday approaches, he said this was the message he gave Strain’s family.

“The crucifixion wasn’t the end. There was a resurrection. In other words, there is hope. And I tried to connect with them and say even in this dark time, realize there is hope somehow that something from this will better society and better our world.”

A visitation for Strain will be held Friday afternoon in Springfield, Missouri. A burial will be held at a later time.

Strain’s father said they did request a second autopsy after a primary report showed no signs of foul play.

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