Latham woman knew pope before he was pope

Irene Skawinski can confirm one thing: She knew Pope John Paul II before he became pope. That's because he confirmed her when he was Archbishop Karol Wojtyla of Krakow, Poland.

That isn't her only connection to the pontiff. Her uncle was a diocesan priest in Krakow. When he attended the seminary, the future pope was a student there, and the two became friends.

"My uncle attended the Pope's installation in Rome," recalled Mrs. Skawinski, who was a long-time member of St. Michael's parish in Cohoes and now goes to St. Ambrose Church in Latham.

Memories

Mrs. Skawinski remembers the archbishop as a very smart man, who seemed capable of doing great things. She would not remain in Poland long enough to see him fulfill that promise: The year before she graduated from high school, her family moved to the U.S. That was 40 years ago.

Years later, Mrs. Skawinski, who had by then married and was raising her family in Cohoes, learned that the man who had confirmed her had been elected to the papacy.

"My sister Barbara, who was living in New Jersey called me," she said. "She asked me if I had the television on, and I said no. 'Well, turn it on,' my sister said. 'We have a new Pope -- and we know him!'"

'Special time'

Mrs. Skawinski said that the election was very exciting for everyone, especially Polish people.

"It was a very special time for us," she said. "We were all just thrilled that he had been chosen, the first non-Roman pope in hundreds of years."

What she finds amazing about Pope John Paul after 25 years is that he has "been going strong and doing so many good things for such a long time."

Assessment of pope

Mrs. Skawinski said that "anyone who knew him [back then] had a sense that he would do great things and go places. But we never thought it would be as a pope.

"I remember when he was elected, thinking how he was young and capable of doing so much good in the world. All these years, he has been able to travel to places no pope has ever traveled to before. I think it's wonderful that he's visited so many people around the world, more than any other pope in history.

"And what is remarkable is that he's still doing so much. Even with his illness, he just keeps going."

Life in Poland

During her early years in Poland, Communists controlled the government. Although she was hesitant to talk about "politics," Mrs. Skawinski remembers certain government-enforced restrictions when it came to the Catholic Church and the sacraments.

For example, the government did not recognize marriages that were celebrated only in church. Couples had to marry at government offices in addition to celebrating the Sacrament of Matrimony in a Catholic Church. Government employees were not allowed to marry inside any church.

Instead of those dark memories, Mrs. Skawinski prefers to remember the man who celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation in her parish church.

Souvenirs

Recently, Mrs. Skawinski was going through some dresser drawers in her home and found her Confirmation items: a certificate acknowledging that she was confirmed by Archbishop Karol Wojtyla and a holy card marking the date, with his name on the back.

She also found a letter sent to her by the Vatican in response to a congratulatory note she sent to the newly elected Pope John Paul II in 1978.

"I haven't seen those things in years," she said. "Finding them brought back all those wonderful memories."

(10/16/03) [[In-content Ad]]