By Nicole Falco
Catholics in Valley Stream, across Long Island and throughout the world flocked to church last weekend, and continue to attend services in his honor. The pope, in the words of the Most Rev. William Murphy, bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, was "welcomed into the eternal Kingdom of God" at 2:37 p.m. last Saturday. He was 84.
John Paul II was credited with helping to bring about the fall of communism, staunchly defending those "persecuted by ideologies and powers that denied the transcendent value of the human spirit," said Murphy. As a defender of human life and dignity, especially the poor and downtrodden, John Paul II was often referred to as the "people's pope."
"My enduring image of the pope is that he was so often seen leaning on his staff, which was a cross of Christ," said the Rev. Thomas Harold, pastor of Holy Name of Mary Church. "To me it suggests how close he really was in his own life to the life of Jesus. And second, his name, John Paul. How he combined the spirit of St. Paul and the spirit of the Apostle John. Paul in the sense of his mission to the whole world, and John in his tremendous affection and energy."
John Paul II was the most widely traveled pope in history, visiting 170 countries during his 26-year papacy, and the third-longest-serving pope in church history. His global visits endeared him to people of all races and religions. He encountered more people than any other pope. More than 17.6 million people attended his general audiences, and he had 737 meetings with heads of state.
"He had the unique ability to see the presence of Christ in all people of all nationalities and backgrounds on all continents in all the countries he visited," Harold said.
Raffaella C., who did not want her last name used, shared a similar belief about the pope. "He was inspired by the Holy Spirit," she said. "He took everybody into his embrace. It didn't matter if you were Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Baptist ... He was a person of the world and of the people. They loved him for his sincerity and understanding."
Raffaella held back tears as she spoke of the "pilgrim pope" after Mass Tuesday morning at Blessed Sacrament Church. Last September, she made a pilgrimage to Rome with other parishioners from Blessed Sacrament. "He blessed us," she said.
Marie McCabe, who had also attended the 9 a.m. Mass, traveled to Rome with about 80 other Blessed Sacrament parishioners as well. She and her husband, Tom, who are both active in the church, heard the pope speak about five years ago. Tom had the chance to kiss the pope's ring. "Everybody told him not to wash his hands," Marie recalled. Marie heard the pope speak on two other occasions, in Arizona and at Aqueduct in the early 1990s.
Mayor Ed Cahill's wife, Maryann, was also in the audience at Aqueduct, as was Harold. Mayor Cahill had come face to face with the pope when he visited Shea Stadium in 1979. Cahill, at the time a New York City police sergeant who worked out of the 113th Precinct in Queens, was assigned to guard the pope that day. He and another officer had the left-field detail. Their job was to face the stands, watching the crowd as the pope arrived, entering through the bullpen. The field was soggy and the sky was overcast.
"People in the stands in right field had the first view of him as he came through in his pope-mobile," Cahill recalled. "They started cheering. As he came through the open gates the sun came out. It was amazing. It was as if God said have the sun shine for him."
Cahill calls the day one of the greatest in his life, and one of his best days on the job. "As he came through, I felt that he looked right at [the other officer and I]," Cahill said of the pope. "He gave us the sign of the cross, his blessing. I saw his beautiful face. His saintly face. I was awestruck. He was an amazing man - how he could hold the crowd in the palm of his hand and they be so happy that he was there."
The pope was born in Wadowice, Poland, the youngest of three children. His sister died before he was born. His mother, father and brother all died before he turned 21. "He was raised in a poor situation," Rosemary Bacick said after Mass at Blessed Sacrament. "He grew up during the war. That's why I think he stuck to what he believed in - that's what I liked about him.
"He's in heaven now, dancing with Mother Theresa. I believe he will be canonized," Bacick said of the man who named 482 saints during his papacy.
Together in prayer
Holy Name of Mary held a Mass of remembrance for the pope Tuesday night. In his homily, Harold expanded on what he called his "enduring image" of John Paul II. "So often when we have seen pictures of the Holy Father, he was clutching his staff, his crosier," Harold said. "At the top of that staff was a crucifix, and in his pictures very often he was leaning on the staff or that crosier with eyes closed and his face slightly bowed as he almost rests the side of his face on the image of Jesus."
Harold went on to explain that the pope is sometimes referred to as the Vicar of Christ, or the earthly representation of him. "That's why the image of the pope leaning on the cross is so striking to me, because so often in his life the people leaned on Christ, and that's such an important lesson for us...," he said. "Never be afraid to lean on the Lord. The leader of our faith. The Vicar of Christ did it often and assured you and me we can do the same. Lean on your Lord. He will support you."
Harold also explained that two of the Bible passages read Tuesday evening - a letter from St. Paul and a reading from John's Gospel - were chosen in honor of the pope's name. He compared John Paul II to his namesakes - St. Paul, for his work as a missionary, and John, for his tremendous energy and zeal.
"I just needed to pay my respects, because [the pope] was a wonderful man," said Patricia Kerner, who attended the Mass. "This is something I needed to do as a Catholic. He brought a lot of peace. Look what he did in Poland by helping to rid the country of communism. I think he brought a lot of unity to the Catholic Church."
There were two special Masses for the pope on Sunday and Monday at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre, and Blessed Sacrament will host a Mass Friday night at 8.
For one St. Agnes parishioner, the pope's death couldn't be more personal. Rockville Centre resident Agnieszka, who asked that her last name not be used, is from Krakow, Poland, the homeland of the late pontiff. "For us, his death is particularly sad. We feel a certain bond with him that no one else can really understand," said Agnieszka, who left Poland three years ago. Visibly upset, she was among hundreds of mourners who attended the 11 a.m. Mass on Sunday, celebrated by Bishop Emil Wcela.
Amid strains of the opening hymn, mourners filed into the pews of the church to hear words of comfort about John Paul II. On the second Sunday of Easter, also known as the Sunday of Divine Mercy, Wcela spoke about how the events of the past week - the deaths of Terri Schiavo and the pope - were reminders to all about the reality of death. With the two deaths occurring during the Easter season, the bishop said that it was a time to think about life and death and what it all means.
"I didn't know the pope well," Wcela said in his homily, though he recalled four meetings with him over the years. He remembered seeing a vigorous pope on three of his four visits - an athlete, a skier and a hiker who enjoyed great health. Wcela applauded the pontiff for his global visits, for connecting so well with youth, for being a dominant force in the fall of communism, for standing up to Nazi tyranny, and for healing the rift between the church and its Jewish brethren.
The bishop last visited the Vatican last October and, he said of the pope, "It was clear that his life had changed." No longer the robust man who would lunch with visiting bishops in small groups and ask them to show him their dioceses on a map, on this visit, Wcela recalled, the bishops met with the pope just once.
"Everyone's very sad," said Rockville Centre resident Al Rotondo, "but we should be very happy, because he was a great pope that connected with people. I think he brought the morale and consciousness of the Catholic Church way up. He was a great inspiration."
Wcela greeted people as they filed out into the cold noontime rain that had fallen during the service. "We lost a great man, but the church will continue," he said. "He made a great contribution to who we all are."
Speaking for the people of Krakow, a sad Agnieszka said, "For us he was not only the Holy Father, but also a father and a brother."
The youth remember
John Paul II is the only pope half of the world's population has ever known. "I think he'll always be remembered as a man who cared for people and always put people's feelings before himself," said Evan Kearney, a sixth-grader at Holy Name of Mary School. "He was loved by all people in all nations in the world."
The entire student body will attend a children's Mass Thursday at 9:15 a.m. in honor of the pope, said Sister Elizabeth Marie Lynch, Holy Name of Mary's principal. During the Mass they will hear a tape of the pope speaking to youth in Central Park. Seventh- and eighth-grade students will discuss how popes are elected; the entire school has already been discussing the life of John Paul II in class.
"He had a connection with the youth like no other pope before him," said Angela Dumlao, an eighth-grader. "I was really mournful when he died, but now I'm thankful that he is with God, because he's not suffering anymore."
Dumlao called John Paul II an inspiration who helped end communism, traveled the world and spoke many languages fluently. "He was a living saint," she said.
Brendan Kassebaum, a fourth-grader, said, "You can tell he was a holy man just by looking at him."
Students at Blessed Sacrament will take part in a prayer service Thursday morning for the pope.
Beth Wallach and Esther McKenna contributed to this story. Comments about it? NFalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
