Editor's Desk: A Quiet Moment

By Michael F. Flach
Herald Editor
(From the issue of 10/16/03)

A generation of Catholics has no knowledge of any other pope other than John Paul II. His 25-year pontificate, the fourth longest in history, now spans four decades. As we put this special anniversary issue together it brought back vivid memories of a unique trip I took to Rome in January 1996.

The Jan. 6 ordination ceremony in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, attended by more than 20,000 people from around the world, was just the beginning of three exciting days for a group of 30 pilgrims from the Arlington Diocese. Bishop Antons Justs, former pastor of St. Mark Parish in Vienna, was one of 14 bishops ordained by the Holy Father. The new bishop celebrated a private Mass Jan. 7 at Dommas Mariae Chapel, a Catholic retreat center in Rome. Nearly 200 pilgrims from Latvia and the U.S. joined in prayer and song.

Afterward, they shared a meal and praised Bishop Justs for all he had contributed to Virginia during his 30 years of priestly ministry there, and what his appointment mean for Latvia, a country still struggling to find its Catholic identity after 50 years of Communist domination.

After an early morning Mass Jan. 8 celebrated at St. Peter’s Tomb, the pilgrims gathered outside the "bronze door" leading up to the papal apartment. They were led by Swiss guards up several flights of stairs and across a large courtyard to a private audience hall. After a few minutes of silence, the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, entered the room. The emotion of the moment was too great for some as they broke into tears. Others sat mesmerized as they listened to the papal message.

The pope patiently greeted each person individually. Bishop Justs stood next to the Holy Father, introducing each person by name and country. The Vatican photographer worked at breakneck speed to capture the moment on film. Each person received a rosary as a personal memento of the occasion. A large group picture was taken.

Lather that evening, before a final farewell dinner with Bishop Justs, an unexpected opportunity presented itself. Permanent Deacon Larry Ziemianski from St. Mark Parish was invited to return to the papal apartment to have a chalice he carried with him from the U.S. blessed by the Holy Father. The chalice was used during the Jan. 6 ordination Mass, but Msgr. Stanislaw Dziwisz, the pope’s secretary, asked Larry to bring it back that night for a special blessing. Deacon Ziemianski asked Bob Schafer from St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Great Falls and myself if we wanted to accompany him.

After handing it to Msgr. Dziwisz we waited for several minutes outside the papal apartment for the chalice to be returned. After all the noise and excitement of the previous three days, the audience hall now was an oasis of peace and quiet. We caught our breath and reflected on our surroundings. Outside the window, Rome’s rush hour traffic continued at its breakneck pace around the wall’s of St. Peter’s Square. We spoke of how blessed we were to be part of these historic events and how mysterious God’s design was in our lives.

The entire frenetic pace of that week in Rome — from the closed airports, canceled flights and whirlwind public events — came down to one brief, quiet moment at the door of the papal apartment. The chalice was returned and we stepped outside into the cold, Rome night.— M.F.F.

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