Saint John Paul II

“I plead with you--never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.” ~ Saint John Paul II

I'm a confessed Pope John Paul II junkie.  It all started when I was tutoring some Catholic kiddos while I was in high school and one of them had to write a report on the then-Pope.  Without question, this is one of those small moments that had an enormous impact on the person who I am today.  A simple book report started what has now been over a decade and a half devotion to this Polish Pope.

This has continued for years and I always loved to hear reports of his speeches, I read his books, I watched documentaries about his papacy, I just loved it all.

I will never forget the days during which so many held vigil as he neared death.  I remember watching the coverage in my little apartment on Duck Street in Stillwater  in tears and, after it was done, going to a special service held at St. John's down the road to remember Pope John Paul II.  There, the priest gave each of us a medal that had been blessed by the Pope himself.  I still have that medal and it is one of my most prized possessions.

Fast forward to 2009 when I went to Rome and knelt before his grave.  I can't even explain that experience.  And then again last spring when I made a pilgrimage of sorts to his homeland of Poland.  While there, I saw his birthplace, the church where he was baptized, his apartment when he lived in Krakow, the pew where he most liked to pray, his clothing and books and kneeler at a museum.  Being there...walking where he walked, touching the kneeler where he prayed, sitting in the pew where he had done the same so many times....was amazing.  Then I flew to Warsaw for the specific purpose of setting foot in Victory Square because of the amazing speech that he gave there in the late 1979's, credited for being a huge part in the end of communism.  I've read books and prayed Novenas and taken pictures of anything containing his face in multiple countries.

Yesterday, Pope John Paul II was canonized--he became a saint.  ND Friend and I---although about 8 states apart---both awoke at 3:00 am to watch the ceremony live.  We stayed on the phone for 45 minutes until it was official.   I have to admit that I watched the entire thing with tears in my eyes.  It was perfect.  The Polish flags proudly being waived by the crowds, the beautiful ceremony, the Costa Rican woman who received one of the miracles presenting the relic. The pure joy as the crowds cheered the announcement that Joannes Paulus II was officially a saint.  It was something I will never forget.

Today, I loved that several of my friends commented that as they watched the coverage of the ceremony or read about the events, they thought of me and my love for him. What an honor that I would be remembered in the same thought as a saint.

I don't know why I feel the connection to him that I have for over a decade.  I don't know anything about being a saint.  I'm not even Catholic, just a little Methodist girl with a strong devotion to this new saint.

What I do know is that this man lived his life in a way that let others--like me--see God within him.

Maybe it is really just that simple.

St. John Paul II, pray for us!

PS--To read about other people's Saint John Paul II stories, check out this link up.