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Local Catholics gather to pray for, honor pope
Elmore County Catholics are expected to show up in large numbers to pray for the soul of Pope John Paul II during services that will honor his memory this week.
At Good Counsel Hall in Mountain Home, a prayer vigil with the full rosary will be held Thursday at 7 p.m., and on Friday the regular noon mass will serve as a memorial mass for the late pope, who will be buried that day, at roughly the same time, in the Vatican where he ruled for 26 years as the Vicar of Christ.
A small shrine has been set up in Good Counsel Hall, forward and to the left of the altar, that features a picture of the pontiff, a pastoral candle representing the resurrection, and all surrounded by a gathering of lilies.
The lilies, Fr. Raul Covarrubias said, represent "the triumph of life over death."
John Paul II, Fr. Raul believes, will be seen in history as one of the great popes of the Catholic Church.
"He was the first pope who gave life to the concept of a world church," he said, noting that before John Paul II the church had always had a distinctly European focus. "He had a world-wide impact."
When Pope Pius XII died in 1958, Fr. Raul noted, "the church was small, a little kingdom. The death of Pius was barely noted in the media. But today, the entire world is aware of it. He made it a world church."
Under John Paul II the papacy "became something more than a little country's leader. Today, it serves as a moral presence for the world." In 1958, only 78 ambassadors were accredited to the Vatican. Today, the world's smallest nation has over 200 ambassadors to the Holy See, more than any other nation in the world.
"The world has come to recognize the value of the chair of Peter and what it represents, a moral consciousness."
He was able to accomplish that, Fr. Raul believes, because John Paul II felt that "you do not have to be of the faith to agree on the needs of humanity, of human rights, of the needs of the poor and oppressed.
"He believed that all of us, even if you didn't believe in God, could talk about human rights and suffering and agree on everything.
"He not only reached out to Catholics, but to all other Christians and other religions."
John Paul II was a moral voice for the world, Fr. Raul said. "He stood for something, and he stuck to it."
For some of the younger parishioners, the man who sat on the throne of St. Peter for 26 years is the only pope they have ever known. But, Fr. Raul said, there seems to be little concern for the transition to a new pope.
"This transition is so much a part of the blood of the church that it isn't' something that causes concern. The transition is easy." The current method for moving from one pope to the next "is 1,000 years old."
"We send him (John Paul II) on with applause (and) the new pope will be received with the same adulation," and all Catholics believe that the hand of God is part of the selection of John Paul II's successor.
At the same time, Fr. Raul believes, the papacy of John Paul II will endure. "I think this papacy will be influential for at least another generation."
"The whole world has been influenced by the Holy Father" (Pope John Paul II), said Monsignor James Hallissey, noting that for the past three days all of the media has covered the events in Rome.
"He was an outstanding man, religious and well known for his love and kindness for children, for men and women, for everybody."
Hallissey noted the pope's efforts to bring peace for all things and for everyone. "In all of his travels -- nearly a hundred trips outside of Rome, he was always trying to bring people together.
"He was a religious man and worked to bring a closeness with the Jews, to erase the resentment between the Catholics and Jews. His goal was for drawing us all together."
While Pope John Paul II is now in the prayers of many, Hallissey reflected the Holy Father had been a man of prayer, thinking of others, always accepting and never complaining about what was sent his way.
Hallissey had an opportunity to visit Rome several years ago and recalls standing in St. Peter's Square as the Holy Father made his way through the crowd. Hallissey nearly had a front row spot, until he was suddenly pushed out of the way by a woman who reached out to shake the pope's hand. "He just gave a gracious little bow and smiled in my direction."
Three times in his life Fr. Raul has had an opportunity to see Pope John Paul II. The first was in 1987, when the Holy Father, in one of his many visits around the world, visited Los Angeles. Then again, he saw him in Rome, and finally, again in 1992. "He walked by us as close as you are to me," he said, "and reached out to touch our hands."
It was a moment he would never forget, a touch from a pope who touched the world.