By Scott Brinton
Rodriguez, who is a parishioner at Sacred Heart Church in North Merrick, carefully placed a portrait of the pontiff beside the candle, which she lit. Then she knelt down and prayed. "I prayed for him, may he rest in peace," Rodriguez said.
The Guatemalan native said she loved the pope, who was the first non-Italian pontiff since 1523. "I compare him to Jesus Christ," she said. "He suffered to the end for us," noting that the pope offered the Easter Mass blessing at the Vatican last Sunday despite his declining health.
Pope John Paul II, born Karol Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland, died in Vatican City at 9:37 p.m. on Saturday, sending millions of Catholics worldwide into mourning. His death was expected after a decade-long battle with Parkinson's disease. In the end, a urinary tract infection caused a high fever and unstable blood pressure, Vatican officials said. He was 84.
For the Merricks and Bellmores, Sunday morning Masses became a time to grieve for the pontiff. Pews at all three local Roman Catholic churches -- Sacred Heart, Curé of Ars in Merrick and St. Barnabas in Bellmore -- were filled to capacity. Many wore reflective, sorrowful expressions on their faces as they filed in and out of church. Contributing to the day's somber tone, the skies were overcast in deep gray, and the temperature was chilly.
In front of Curé of Ars, the yellow-and-white papal flag flew alongside the American flag at half-staff. At Sacred Heart, people had placed potted tulips and flower bouquets at the foot of a chalk-white statute of the Virgin Mary.
Sister Veronica Myles, who retired after 22 years as principal of the Sacred Heart School, said, "I think a great man has left us. He was a man truly for all seasons. He was so good about people having access to him. Everyone thought he was different. He was truly a friend to all people and a man for peace."
During his homily at the 10:15 a.m. and noon Masses, the Rev. Peter Dooley, pastor of St. Barnabas Church, noted the pope's motto -- "Totus tuus," which in Latin roughly translates to "I'm all yours." "He gave all for us, no matter what it demanded," Dooley told parishioners. "Somehow or other, I think his motto was a lesson to each of us and for each of us. No matter what our calling in life, it demands the fullness of who we are, and it is in gifting ourselves to others that we become most ourselves."
Dooley said he found inspiration in Pope John Paul II. "I think he was so dedicated," the pastor said in an interview. "His dedication, to me, was incredible, no matter the personal cost."
Barry Hicks, a Curé of Ars parishioner since 1970, said he kept close watch over the pope's final days on the Telecare network. Hicks said the pope would "live on for a long time in people's hearts," noting that the former parish priest was able to forge friendships with people of varying faiths and ethnic backgrounds. He pointed out that the pope built ties with Israeli Jews and Palestinians alike.
"Everybody loved" Pope John Paul II, Hicks said. "He went to places that no other pope went to."
The pontiff, who was an athlete, actor and teacher in Poland before entering the priesthood, rose from the ashes of World War II, when he worked as a quarry laborer from 1940 to 1944. After the war, he earned a doctorate of theology in Rome and eventually became cardinal of Poland before ascending to the papacy on Oct. 16, 1978.
The bitter taste of war remained with the pope throughout his life. In case after case, he opposed armed conflict as a means to any end. "Violence," the pope once said, "kills what it intends to create."
Pope John Paul II was known for his role in helping to end communism. Early in his papacy, the pontiff made a point of returning to his Polish homeland and calling on people to rise up in peaceful resistance. His stance against communism was credited, in part, with breathing life into the Solidarity union's firm position against Poland's communist government. In turn, the Solidarity movement sparked a largely bloodless, decade-long rebellion against communism, eventually leading to the democratization of all Eastern Europe.
The pope was also hailed for his strong desire to make peace with the Jewish people. More than a decade ago, he recognized the state of Israel and established diplomatic ties with it. In 1998, he apologized for the failure of many Catholics to speak out against Nazi atrocities during World War II. And in 2000, he became the first pope to visit the Holy Land.
Sy Susswein and his wife, Suzanne, were part of a 157-member Jewish-Catholic delegation that had an audience with the pope in January. The Sussweins represented Temple Beth-El of Bellmore. Rabbi Jeremiah Wohlberg, spiritual leader of Congregation Ohav Sholom in Merrick, was also part of the group.
The delegation, led by Gary Krupp of Long Beach, whom the pope knighted for his good works, went to offer thanks to the pontiff for all of his efforts to improve Catholic-Jewish relations.
Sy Susswein said, "I felt honored and humbled to be asked to be part of this group. This pope was the most unusual individual in the way that he reached out to non-Catholics, Jews, Muslims, you name it.
"The trip," Susswein continued, "is something that I will never forget. We were all elated by the experience, and we were all elevated by it. It was just a magnificent event from beginning to end."
During his papacy, the pope also issued apologies to women, indigenous peoples, immigrants and the poor. He did not specify for what he apologized, but said he wanted to help rectify church injustices of the past 2,000 years.
Highly conservative, the pope never wavered in his pro-life doctrine, opposing abortion and contraception. He also refused to allow priests to marry and women to enter the priesthood, which at times clashed with a growing sentiment, at least in America, that the practices should be allowed.
Michael Fine of Bellmore, a member of St. Barnabas for 13 years, said of Pope John Paul II, "He was one of the great men of the 20th century, from the fall of communism to what he did for the people here in the United States. He was a true leader."
Helen Zavack of Merrick, a parishioner at Curé of Ars for 24 years, said, "He was a very good leader, his doctrines, his teachings. We're very sad what happened to him. At least he's in heaven."
Despite last Sunday's sad undertone, there were also signs of hope. At around 11:20 a.m., just as Mass was letting out at St. Barnabas, a young girl of about 5 years old emerged from amid the crowd of formally attired adults. Dressed in a bright yellow rain slicker with tiny colored butterflies, she bounced gleefully down the church stairs.
Surely, the humble priest who became Pope John Paul II would have smiled at such a delightful sight.
Comments about this story? SBrinton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 203.
