Exceptional encounters with the Pope

Kiss of an Angel
We took our three boys to Europe this past summer: Ireland, Germany, Austria, and finally Rome.  While in Rome we came in contact with a young Italian restaurant and club owner.  The owner took a liking to my sons, I think because they picked me up, wheelchair and all, and carried me down 12-18 steps to a meal and performance that was out of this world. After all the patrons left, he sat and talked with us.  By the end of the evening, he told us to be ready by 8 a.m. and he would pick us up and take us to the Pope's summer home for his weekly Sunday Blessing.

I'm not even sure if I slept.  Before I knew it, we were on our way to what I thought would be a blessing to all who gathered in the courtyard of his summer home.  My son, Chris and I were escorted by the Swiss Guard to the very front of the court yard. 

The Pope did not open a window to bless the crowd.  Instead, he was wheeled out on to a stage maybe five feet in front of us.  Chris and I sat in total awe (I looking like a drowned rat in lieu of the most wild thunder and lightening/torrential down pour of a storm I have ever been in) as the darkest day of our trip miraculously turned away to the light on the Son and rainbows overhead.  He spoke for nearly 45 minutes.

When all the Priests, Bishops, Cardinals, and Dignitaries were escorted up on stage to be blessed by our Holy Father, Chris and I were summoned by the Swiss Guard to follow them, to what I thought would be to a safe passage out of the courtyard.  To our surprise we were escorted up on stage, and yes, to receive a blessing from Pope John Paul II.  Chris and I are now bound by this silent and holiest of moments for the rest of our lives.
—Rose Cahill, Yarmouth Port, Mass.

Cheered like crazy
I was lucky to see the Pontiff when he came to Chicago in the ‘70s. I excused my way up to the front about 20 blocks.  When an armless man played the guitar for him, he jumped off the stage to give him a hug.  We cheered like crazy. I will miss my Father.
—Vinnie Montez

Secret believer
After graduating high school in 1982, my father took me on a trip to Italy and Sicily.  Although my father was, and remains, a staunch atheist, I secretly did not share his views.  Imagine my surprise when our stop in Rome included a visit to Vatican Square at the same time the Pope would address the crowd!  As I stood under the colonnade next to some colorfully dressed Papal Guards, the Pope addressed an audience of approximately 3,000 people in Spanish, English, Latin and Polish.  I listened with awe to his words, which radiated tremendous love not only in their meaning, but also in their expression.  John Paul II is truly a Holy Father who takes Jesus' life and message to heart.  After listening to him address the crowd, I turned and found next to me none other than a classmate and close friend from my hometown high school.  Neither of us knew we would be in Rome that summer, much less right there at the Vatican.  I have not seen her again since that day.  But how miraculous are life's small wonders when brought together in the presence of the truly holy.
—Darling Poor, San Diego, Calif.

John Paul Two, we love you
I first saw Pope John Paul during his visit to Denver for World Youth Day in 1993.  I was one of thousands of teenagers and young adults who were fortunate to celebrate mass with him.  What I will treasure most is the deep sense of hope, love and confidence that I think we all felt from him.  The teenage years can be a time of confusion, awkwardness and turmoil, but Pope John Paul looked on that awkwardness with love.  It was really empowering to know that he believed in us as we struggled to come to terms with adult faith and our place in the world.  I think the words of the familiar World Youth Day chant say it all, "John Paul Two, We love you!"
—Maggie, Baltimore, Md.

Barb wires
I am from Lima, Peru. When I was little I didn't know much about Catholicism. I came from a catholic family, but, for some reason, was not been raised accordingly. One night in 1985, my dad took me to see the Pope as he traveled down Brasil Avenue.  He had arranged to sit on top of a high building that had metal barbs surrounding it.  My dad told me to watch for those barbs that the might hurt me. I was 5 years old and a little frenzied to see this man (back then I didn't quite know who he was) who everyone was so eager to see.  But, I stumbled and fell directly into those barbs! I even felt a very bad sting on my right hand. I don't quite remember exactly how it happened but I felt that something pulled me out of there. Now I understand that it was the hand of God; I looked at my hand and I didn’t even have a scratch. Since then, I became interested in his life and my faith had increased incredibly.
—Giancarlo Obando, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Cold day, warm visit
It was dead of winter, a cold day in February 1981.  My husband and I had moved from warm California to spend our young adult years living and working in Alaska.  If someone had told me back when I first arrived in Alaska that Pope John Paul would one day visit beautiful Alaska, I would never have believed it.  But there I was standing with my family in the snow with a huge crowd in Anchorage that day looking in awe watching Pope John Paul II in his long white coat and bright red Vatican hat walk through the crowds, touching children sweetly as he always does and waving to us all, grinning widely with his twinkling eyes.  His spirit of adventure and love for people around the world brought him to us in Alaska too.
—Susan Vallejo

I gave him a rose
When the Pope came to Phoenix, Ariz., he was scheduled to say mass at Simon and Jude.  Two children from each class were allowed to attend the mass. When our first grade teacher put all our names into the hat, I said a prayer to God that I be one of the lucky two. My name was called and to this day I'm sure that my prayer was answered. I sat in the front pew and the Pope John Paul II put his hands over me and said a prayer. I gave him a rose in return. Thank you Jesus for blessing me through your Holy Vessel.
—John Martinez, Phoenix, Ariz.

Warm smile and blessing
It was a beautiful day in June of 1978, when Cardinal Karol Wojtyla visited his friend, Msgr. Sypek, at St. Attlebert Church in Hyde Park, Massachusetts. As a young member of the Krakowiak Polish Dancers of Boston's Children's Group, I was bestowed the privilege of presenting our guest with flowers.  I recall kissing his ring and, in return, received a warm smile along with his blessing. Later that year, he became our beloved Pope! What a wonderful memory I get to share with my children.  
—Pamela Bogdanski, Southborough, Mass.

World Youth Day
In 2002, the Catholic Church held the World Youth Day (WYD) celebration in Toronto, Canada. I, along with all of the youths and young adults from the Sacramento Diocese, gathered there with people from around the world. The day that the Pontiff arrived was an exciting day.  Everyone there was looking up to the sky to watch for his helicopter. I was so excited when I arrived at the WYD activity area to find that our group of pilgrims found a spot right up against the barricade. I was so nervous due to my hope that I would be able to get a picture that would not be blurred as the Pope drove by. I was so pleased that I was able to get several nice, clear pictures of the Pope as they drove by us and was even more excited when I got a clear one of the Pope looking in my general direction. It has been an experience that has changed my life.
—Casandra Calderon, Galt, Calif.

Heavenly feeling
I was blessed to be in the Pope presence two times. My first was in New York at the racetrack in Queens.  I was so overwhelmed I felt this was Jesus on earth.  The tears came down my eyes uncontrollably.  The next time I was at the Vatican for the beatification of Mother Teresa.  I was on the tenth row seat from the Pope's podium.  It was awesome.  I felt warmth, beauty and a profound feeling of oneness with all those thousands of people who were there.  Being in the presence of the Pope John Paul II makes me feel heavenly.  I could not believe my eyes. I was really looking at him.  He is indeed a precious gift to us Catholics and to the world. Tonight, I shall look at my photo album with pictures of the Pope that I took at the Vatican and reflect upon the life of this Holy Man. 
—Marie Morgan

Speaking to an entire town
I studied architecture in Europe in 1996 while on an abroad program with my university. We were based in Como, Italy, and that spring the Pope was going to pay an official visit to the town. Como is small, a population of 80,000, north of Milan. The last time the Pope had officially visited was 700 years earlier! The fact that the United States had not even been discovered since the last time the Pope visited Como was extremely humbling. I was excited to have an opportunity to actually see the pope in person and the little town soon became overwhelmed with the upcoming visit.

When he finally arrived to speak, the surrealism had truly peaked. It all began when this sleepy mountain town was secured with military helicopters overhead and navy divers skimming about in high-speed boats on the lake. The Pope's arrival was surrounded by a buzz in the crowd. He proceeded to give a very moving speech to the citizens of the town in the main plaza, Piazza Cavour. You could feel the pride and awe in the people as they received the Pope in their small, humble town. I stood far away, but close enough to see his face and his emotions and expressions, which made me feel connected and I sensed the power from God surrounding him.

The next day came an even more powerful experience as the town prepared for the special treat of the Pope delivering mass in their intimate, classical cathedral. My roommates and I were working in our apartment that Sunday morning, sketching and eating breakfast with the windows wide open. We lived close to the cathedral, only a few twists and turns away, down the craggy streets of the old part of the city. They set up a speaker system in the piazza so everyone outside could hear the Pope's mass. As we worked, I paused as his voice started to echo. Beautiful Latin drifted in through the windy streets and into our windows with the sunshine and shadows of the tight allies. I looked at my sketches, I looked at my hand and the pencil I was pushing across the paper. I felt the power in his voice as his words poured over me. I tried to draw but it felt awkward. I just wanted to sit and listen...so I stopped and looked out to the sky and felt like I was an audience with God and his angels as the Pope spoke to us all. I will always remember that morning.
—Andre Krause, Santa Monica, Calif.

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Love from every word
I think back to a high school trip I took to Italy when I was a senior. Not being Catholic I have never had the pleasure of experiencing a mass, but I was able to attend a Good Friday mass at St. Peter's Basilica in which the Pope was in attendance and did bless the crowd. While I did not meet the pope face to face, being only 20 to 30 feet from him I was still able to feel a great sense of love coming from every word he spoke. Upon arrival home I began to see the world in a different light. Before my experience at the Vatican I could not say that I was a tolerant person, however upon learning about Pope John Paul II's acceptance and his uniting different religions I realized that we are all the same people. Whether Muslim, Catholic, Baptist or Jewish we are all humans and all life is precious. I have Pope John Paul II to thank for this. I believe that nobody will be mourned more than this great man, but I am happy that God has decided to call his servant home, and that he will have continue to have a wide-spread effect on the world even after his death. God bless the Pope, and God bless the world.
—Andrew Shaffer, Texarkana, Texas

A blessed ticket

Annette Novak

In September of last year we had general audience tickets to see the Pope. I knew we would be soooo far back, but the nun assured me, laughing, not to worry, "His blessing reaches that far!" she said. On the train, we met a girl, who by chance asked us if we were going to the Papal Audience. She said that two of her friends couldn't make it and that she had very close seats! It was a total miracle! We ended up sitting so very close to him. The experience was profoundly moving, as I am half Polish and my Polish grandparents and parents never were able to have the opportunity to see the Pope. I was there on behalf of all of them.  It was a day I'll never forget, and feel very blessed to have experienced.
—Annette Novak, Independence, Mo.

New York blessing
I was fortunate enough to see the Pope in October of 1995 at Aqueduct in New York. It was a wonderful day. At the time my husband and I had been trying to conceive for five years. I was hopeful that in seeing the Pope and praying with him that my dreams for a child would come true. In addition, my father and grandfather had just passed away, so I was looking for comfort. I found both. The following month I was pregnant with my first child, Kathleen. I always have believed that my visit with the Pope contributed to my wonderful news! God Bless you, John Paul.
—Maryanne Hurley, Bohemia, N.Y.

A special smile
I went on a class trip of January of this year to go on a tour of Italy. One of the first stops we made in the country was to go to the first general audience that was being held for the year. We were seated in the middle of a crowd so huge, that I figured that there was no way he would see our class. To my surprise, when the cardinals were announcing all the pilgrim's visiting to the Pope, our class was the very last one announced. As we were cheering, the Pope actually looked at us and smiled. This is a cherished memory for me because I was part of a group that was actually acknowledged by the Pope.
—Michael Gonzales, Moraga, Calif.

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