Your fondest memory of Pope John Paul II

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Dear Friends,

Dcointin shared a beautiful event in Pope John Paul II’s life.

Do you have an event or a saying of his that continues to inspire you?

Would you like to share it here?

Alex
 
Sadly I don’t have one. I missed my opportunity. In my short life he has visited the Philippines twice, I was too young the first time, and I was a rebelious teen the second time around. I could have seen him in person, even from afar. But I didn’t. One of the regrets of my life.
 
Same as the above poster, I was a rebellious teen & adult, public school educated & poorly catechized with zero adult faith formation. I missed out on most of his direct teachings. :banghead:
 
Although I am not Catholic (yet?), I do want to share with this thread a wonderful memory.

I was an active duty U.S. Navy officer stationed in Naples, Italy during Pope John Paul II’s last year on this Earth. I had the good fortune to visit The Vatican while living in Italy (after he passed) and was overwhelmed by all that we saw.

The night that His Holiness passed away, there was a small earthquake in parts of Italy. I felt it in Naples. Friends of mine also confirmed they had felt it too and wondered if that had anything to do with the Pope’s death which was all over the news. I couldn’t say, but it was an interesting coincidence.🤷
 
timUDJHS84 said:
Although I am not Catholic (yet?), I do want to share with this thread a wonderful memory.

I was an active duty U.S. Navy officer stationed in Naples, Italy during Pope John Paul II’s last year on this Earth. I had the good fortune to visit The Vatican while living in Italy (after he passed) and was overwhelmed by all that we saw.

The night that His Holiness passed away, there was a small earthquake in parts of Italy. I felt it in Naples. Friends of mine also confirmed they had felt it too and wondered if that had anything to do with the Pope’s death which was all over the news. I couldn’t say, but it was an interesting coincidence.🤷
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This sent shivers down my spine. The morning (my local time) that the Pope passed, there was an earthquake too where I was. I remember he was sick that time and that morning I turned on the TV to find out he passed away. I never connected the two events until now because having earthquakes is pretty normal in the Philippines. Then again, it could be a sign given the same event happened in another part of the world.
 
On my birthday, when Pope John Paul II came to my area, my family camped out and listened to him speak. I wish I had been older, I would have paid more attention.
 
I don’t really have a ‘fond’ memory. I met him twice (in the sense that he shook my hand and spoke a couple of words) - once when he was in Ireland in 1979 and again in 1995.

I was never a fan and am surprised that he is being beatified.
 
In September of 1985, I was not yet baptized, although I believed in God. My wife and I had the opportunity to visit Europe, so we went. As we were driving into Italy from France, we were going to arrive in Genoa toward day’s end, so we wanted to find a place to stay. While driving along the autostrada, we began to notice police at the exits. I knew that Paris had experienced some terrorist activity the year before, so we were then on heightened alert. As we continued driving, we also noticed pedestrians in increasing numbers. Within a few more minutes, we saw that some were carrying signs or placards. My wife looked closely at the placards and then shouted “It’s the Pope!” He was visiting Genoa, a fact of which we were completely unaware. Of course, we had to stop. Somehow, we found a parking space and joined the crowd. An Italian couple began to converse with my wife, who speaks Spanish. Along with the generous use of hands, both sides understood each other. They thought we were living together, since we were not wearing our wedding rings. Actually, we left them at home, out of fear of loss or theft. I was one of very few in the crowd lining the roadway that had a camera. Suddenly, the crowd began to roar. I focused and took a photo of John Paul II as he passed us, granting his Apostolic blessing to us. It was but a brief moment, and the import of that blessing did not strike me for many years. However, the next year, I was in RCIA. When added together with all of the other “guidance” that the Lord has given me, I see now that this was the final piece of the puzzle that formed the picture which lead me home.
 
I am an avid sci-fi fan so I used to subscribe to Omni magazine (this was when I was not yet Catholic). There was a very small article that has always left a very solid impression on me about the holiness of Pope John Paul 2 of thrice-blessed memory. During a visit to the U.S., the Pope was planning to stop at a certain site (I now forget where it was or when it was), but the area planned for the gala event just happened to be the home of some indigenous rodents. Environmentalists were up in arms that the Pope’s visit would disturb the otherwise peaceful habitat of the animals, and were blocking the permits for the event. A short time before the Pope was scheduled to arrive, a strange pestilence wiped out the entire indigenous population of rodents, so the Pope’s visit went on as planned.

God works in mysterious ways.👍

I also almost met the Pope once. I was blessed to have a friend who was studying Latin in Rome and his professor gave us a personal tour of the Vatican. The Pope had just finished his Wednesday audience and we were standing in front of the papal apartment eagerly waiting to greet the Pope personally. Unfortunately, a few minutes before the Pope was to arrive, his professor was called away on duty, and my friend and I were not allowed to remain there unattended.😦

Blessings,
Marduk
 
Alexander_Roman said:
Dear Friends,

Dcointin shared a beautiful event in Pope John Paul II’s life.

Do you have an event or a saying of his that continues to inspire you?

Would you like to share it here?

Alex
Click to expand...
I am so glad that you posted this thread! Yes, I have such a great memory about Pope John Paul. My mother and I really loved this Pope and miss him - also there’s a movie on EWTN that I watched awhile back but I’m trying to think of the name? I think it’s “Have No Fear: The Life of Pope John Paul II”. I couldn’t leave the room while watching the show - I hope that the station will show it again.

Plus, I remember my mother running into my room saying loudly “We Have A Polish Pope!!”…we’re Czech’s so we can get a little emotional at times:whistle:
 
I was mostly too young or too indifferent to faith when he was alive, but I do remember watching the news after his death. It amazed me just how many people had come to pay their respects to him and how moved people were by his passing. Another thing that always stuck with me was when I was reading about him a few years ago and learnt how he met with and pardoned the man who shot him, which I always thought was an amazing thing to do.
 
I was still Lutheran when he was alive, but I remember watching him on TV when he came to Baltimore. (Cardinal Keeler gave him an Orioles cap, which I think he briefly put on later - it was shown on local stations). That’s the thing I remember about Pope John Paul II, he always wore a local hat in places he went, and he would kiss the ground when he got off the plane. My grandmother also had Parkinsons (lasted 20 years), so after Pope John Paul II died, I kind knew what to expect when my grandmother’s disease started entering the last stages.
 
I think my favorite memory is a tie between the Papal Mass in Anchorage, and the reception for the ministers and their families. My dad was a deacon-candidate at the time, and an instituted acolyte and lector… and thus on the ministry team for that mass. I was within 10’ of His Holiness at the reception. He radiated a sense of Warmth and Safety…

I was too young for being an Altar Server for that mass - one had to be 16. I was under 12…
 
His trip to Ukraine; the Liturgy in L’viv. Also his writing of *Orientale Lumen *and the centenary of the Union of Brest.
 
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