VISIT FONDLY RECALLED ANGELENOS CONTINUE TO BE INSPIRED BY PONTIFF YEARS LATER.Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer With Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus PP. II, Italian: Giovanni Paolo II, Polish: Jan Paweł II) born Karol Józef Wojtyła entering his last hours, Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, Catholics talked Friday about the popular religious leader, recalling his trip to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. in 1987 and his impact on their lives. Some 300,000 people lined the streets of Los Angeles as the pontiff - riding in his glass-topped Popemobile - rode through Koreatown, Chinatown and Skid Row skid row a run-down area frequented by alcoholics. [Am. Culture: Misc.] See : Alcoholism Skid Row district of down-and-outs and bums. [Am. Usage: Brewer Dictionary, 1008] See : Failure . Churches throughout Los Angeles held lotteries for tickets to the two open-air Masses that John Paul The name John Paul might refer to: Full name
Allen Roque roque: see croquet. of Norwalk recalled seeing the pope at the Los Angeles Coliseum, where the pontiff celebrated Mass before 100,000 worshippers Sept. 15, 1987. ``It was just awesome; he reached out to everyone there. You felt like he was talking directly to you,'' said Roque, a 39-year-old schoolteacher. ``He was a great pope to grow up with.'' Kathi Carman Car´man n. 1. A man whose employment is to drive, or to convey goods in, a car or car. and Barbara Courselle, parishioners at St. Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (măg`dələn; formerly, and still in Magdalen College, Oxford, and Magdalene College, Cambridge, môd`lən, hence maudlin, i.e. Catholic Church in Camarillo, were among some 60,000 worshippers who saw John Paul celebrate Mass the following night in Dodger Stadium • • [ . ``You know he's genuine. You can read it through his mannerisms,'' Carman said. ``He just, like, glows with this holiness and the beaming on his face.'' Said Courselle: ``It was just exciting, just to know you were there with the pope.'' Sixteen years later, Sonia Giordani came away deeply impressed with the pope's demeanor and attitude when she had a rare honor: She and her husband were among a dozen newlyweds John Paul blessed at an audience in his summer residence. When she saw the pope in July 2003, he was already much weakened physically. But she found him inspiring nonetheless. ``His illness had dragged him down but he was still so lucid and so faith-filled,'' said Giordani, a parishioner at St. Bernardine's Catholic Church in Woodland Hills. ``It was so moving that he was so dedicated to his calling in life, he was going to fight through the illness.'' Giordani, a writer who once worked for the Daily News and now is the mother of an 11-month-old son, and her husband, Tim Johnston, watched from a balcony at Castel Gandolfo Castel Gandolfo (kästĕl` gändôl`fō), town (1991 pop. 6,784), in Latium, central Italy, in the Alban Hills, overlooking Lake Albano. Possibly occupying the site of ancient Alba Longa, it is the papal summer residence. as John Paul talked for a half-hour to 45 minutes in five languages to hundreds of people who had waited in line for hours to crowd into the villa's courtyard. ``He talked about the importance of hope and forgiveness and peace,'' she said. After his talk, delivered from a chair on a raised platform in the courtyard, John Paul blessed first disabled people, then priests and nuns, then the dozen newlywed couples who had come from Norway, Poland, Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. and other corners of the globe. ``It was moving. It was moving to see this was a real man who was so grounded in his faith, so dedicated to living his faith,'' Giordani said. Giordani sees John Paul's importance in three ways: as a champion of social justice who called for changing societal structures to meet the needs of individuals, for his role in the fall of communism and for building connections with people of other faiths. ``He reached out beyond our church to affect the world.'' Charles F. Bostwick, (661) 267-5741 chuck.bostwick(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1) Pope John Paul II rides in his Popemobile with then-Archbishop Roger Mahony during the pontiff's visit to Los Angeles in September 1987. Daily News (2 -- 3) Pope John Paul II, above, celebrates Mass for more than 100,000 in the Los Angeles Coliseum on Sept. 15, 1987. About 60,000 worshippers, left, joined Pope John Paul II for Mass in Dodger Stadium during his Los Angeles visit. (4) The famed Hollywood got the ``holy'' treatment in anticipation of the arrival of the pope in 1987. Associated Press (5) In 1987, the pope held meetings with 300 bishops at the San Fernando Mission and Our Lady Queen of Angels Seminary. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion