Area churches bulge as the faithful mourn their leader.Byline: Ilene Aleshire and Jim Feehan The Register-Guard At St. Paul St. Paul as a missionary he fearlessly confronts the “perils of waters, of robbers, in the city, in the wilderness.” [N.T.: II Cor. 11:26] See : Bravery Catholic Church in Eugene, the Rev. Stephen Clovis set aside his prepared homily homily (hŏm`əlē), type of oral religious instruction delivered to a church congregation. In the patristic period through the Middle Ages the focus of the homily was on the explanation and application of texts read or sung during the at the 5:30 p.m. vigil Mass on Saturday to speak from the heart about his personal grief at the pope's death and his warm memories of the pontiff. Clovis told the packed church that he heard the news of the pope's death as he was leaving his home office. "In spite of the fact that I knew what was coming, and thought that I'd prepared myself really well, the news hit me somewhat like a ton of bricks." Clovis said be broke into sobs, something that he hadn't done since his own father passed away seven years ago. He remembered a day in 1988, when he and 34 or 35 of his classmates Classmates can refer to either:
tr.v. or·dained, or·dain·ing, or·dains 1. a. To invest with ministerial or priestly authority; confer holy orders on. b. To authorize as a rabbi. 2. as deacons at St. Peter's St. Peter's or similar terms may mean: Places
It was a special moment, Clovis said. "It gave my mother and father a chance to meet him, to go up to him, and to shake his hand." Each newly ordained deacon also got to greet the pope. "When I and my classmates went forward to shake his hand, he gave us all the gift of a rosary rosary [rose garden], prayer of Roman Catholics, in which beads are used as counters. The term, applied also to the beads, is extended to Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist prayers that use beads. , with his personal crest and his motto," Clovis said. But it wasn't so much the gift as the manner of the giving that made the moment stick in Clovis' memory. The pope held the rosary under his cupped hand, so it wasn't visible to the recipient. As he shook each one's hand, they suddenly realized he was passing them a rosary. It was a way of making each person feel special. "It was as if you were the only one to get this," he said. Clovis wasn't alone in remembering the pope Saturday. At St. Mary's Catholic Church in downtown Eugene, parishioners began to file into church a half-hour before the 5:30 p.m. Mass. Even so, the service was delayed about 10 minutes to accommodate the crowd. About twice the normal number of parishioners attended, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. church greeter Mary Littlejohn. The attendance rivaled Easter and Christmas services. Many, such as Megan Conway of Springfield, were drawn to church to mourn mourn v. mourned, mourn·ing, mourns v.intr. 1. To feel or express grief or sorrow. See Synonyms at grieve. 2. the pope. "His death is such a deep loss for the church. It's almost like losing a family member," Conway said. Bruce McCutcheon of Eugene echoed that sentiment. "He was like a father figure. There's never been a man who has brought the church and world together," he said. Ann and Jim Seeley of Eugene arrived 20 minutes early in anticipation of a large crowd, they said. "It's an end of an era. I'm a little uncertain where (the church is) going from here," Ann Seeley said. |
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