Priests remember papal visit when they were seminarians
Joe Kohn of The Michigan Catholic
Published September 14, 2007
|
Michigan Catholic file photo
A group of seminarians wait on the grounds of Sacred Heart Major Seminary to meet Pope John Paul II on Sept. 18, 1987. |
|
Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass Sept. 19, 1987, at the Pontiac Silverdome with nearly 100,000 in attendance. |
Metro area — It was two decades ago. Msgr. John Kasza and Fr. David Burgard had just entered Sacred Heart Seminary, and already they and their classmates were going to have one of the most memorable experiences of their lives.
It was a strange sight to see a helicopter land near the seminary parking lot. But it was a pure joy to meet the man who emerged from it, Pope John Paul II.
"When the Holy Father's helicopter landed, we seminarians, faculty and staff burst into shouts of joy and wild applause," recalled Msgr. Kasza, now personal secretary to Cardinal Adam Maida. "Pope John Paul then moved through our receiving line, all of us reaching out toward him, hoping to shake his hand."
Sept. 18 marks the first day of Pope John Paul II's brief-but-memorable visit to the Detroit area. Several priests in the Archdiocese of Detroit say the late Holy Father's presence in Michigan left a lasting impression on their vocations.
Those who were in the seminary at the time were glad the Holy Father's schedule was adjusted at the last minute to include a brief visit to the seminary, as well.
"It was just like a dream," said Fr. Burgard, now pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Ira Township, recalling that exciting evening when he first met the pope. "I couldn't believe it was actually happening. It was a good, positive start to my time at the seminary."
Along with stopping by the seminary, Pope John Paul II visited the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, stayed at Cardinal Edmund Szoka's residence, greeted the faithful in the streets of Hamtramck, gave a talk at Hart Plaza, and celebrated Mass in the Pontiac Silverdome, which was filled to capacity.
Those who were seminarians at the time say it gave them a chance to meet a great model of the priesthood. Pope John Paul II died in 2005.
|
Pope John Paul II at the consecration of the Mass with then-Archbishop Edmund C. Szoka (left) Msgr. Piero Marini, papal master of ceremonies, and Cardinal John Dearden (far right). |
|
Pope John Paul II gets close to the people in a tour of the Silverdome in his popemobile. | "He was pretty much the only pope I knew," says Fr. Burgard, who also met the pontiff two years later at the Vatican. "He was a model of what a priest should be like. In that sense, he was the kind of a priest that God calls you to be.… Consciously or unconsciously, because of the length of his leadership, that was the case for most of us who were in the seminary at that time."
Another priest-to-be in 1987 saw it as a shot in the arm to his vocation. Fr. Michael Hrydziuszko — who at the time was working as an accountant and was parish council president at St. Edmund Parish in Warren — was volunteered to be a eucharistic minister at the Mass in the Silverdome. He wound up with a first-row seat at the Mass.
It was a good chance to see first-hand the joy the pontiff had for his own priesthood, says Fr. Hrydziuszko, now pastor of St. Isidore Parish in Macomb Township.
"I was totally impressed with his dedication to living and bringing forth the faith to the people," he said. "The Mass was just an awesome experience in terms of being with that many other Catholics in the area, and celebrating with the Holy Father. It was a truly amazing experience of God's love and mercy on all of us."
The reaction of Catholics at the time also was overwhelming, Fr. Hrydziuszko added. Indeed, everywhere the Holy Father went during his visit, a large crowd followed. Countless Catholics in the Detroit area have memories of seeing the late Holy Father either in Hamtramck or Pontiac, or at the cathedral. Those who were blessed with a face-to-face meeting, especially, are happy to talk about the warmth they felt 20 years ago — and oftentimes the influence it had in their own walks with Christ.
"Whenever he looked into someone's eyes, it was as though he or she was the only one there," Msgr. Kasza recalled. "While he was at Sacred Heart Seminary for only a short while, it made a lasting impact on my vocation. The Holy Father's humility, simplicity, peace and deep relationship with the Lord challenged me to persevere in my vocation to be a priest."
Related Links:
|
