Priests reflect on links to pope

A number of priests in the Albany Diocese were linked to Pope John Paul II in special ways: They were ordained in the year he was elected, for example, or they shared his Polish heritage, or they spent time in Rome during his pontificate.

Here they share their memories and assessments:

* Rev. Robert Powhida, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi, Northville, and St. Joseph's, Broadalbin: "I was ordained in September [1978], under the pontificate of Pope John Paul I. The week after that, I got word that he had died. I'm Slovak, and [Pope John Paul II] was Polish; I was so happy with his election.

"He gave stability to the Church. After the [Second] Vatican Council, things were in turmoil. Some people said he was conservative, and maybe he was, but he gave order to the Church. With John Paul II, we went forward again. He set us on track to what being Catholic meant again, and he brought together people of every faith. He was a very inclusive pope."

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* Rev. Joseph Cebula, pastor of Our Lady of the Assumption parish, Rotterdam: "In 1997, [while on sabbatical in Rome,] I went to an audience with the Pope. There were some bishops in town, so...there were 250 of us in an audience hall. He came down the hall and shook everyone's hand; I got a picture [of myself with him]. It was my Christmas card the following year.

"He tried to represent the ideals of Christ. Whether you agreed or disagreed with him on some positions, he was trying to call people to live their faith. We need people like that. Christ was central to him. He was a person of God. He certainly did a lot -- his travels, his role in the downfall of communism.

"You always knew you were in the presence of one of the more prayerful, holy people in the world. He was many steps ahead of us. Those few encounters where I did see him, you could see that sense of God and prayerfulness and spirituality."

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* Rev. Donald Czelusniak, pastor of St. Mary of Mount Carmel and Sacred Heart, Gloversville: "I feel a special bond, being ordained in that same year [as the Pope] and being Polish. If you're Polish, the feeling was, 'This is historical!' In Poland, they have a feeling that, 'He's our father, not just the Holy Father.' I can identify with that.

"He came to see me first: He came to America in 1979! I wasn't planning to go [to New York], but a priest said, 'You can have this ticket.' I had to park about six blocks from Yankee Stadium. My first impression [on arriving] was that this was a different crowd; there was a peacefulness, a reverence. And the homily he gave -- we were hanging on every word. Our Holy Father, coming to see us -- never do you forget that.

"This fellow was really special. He appeared [to] respect everyone: He went to all different peoples, not just Catholics. He went to the Muslims, the Jewish people. He was courageous; he never seemed to back down when he saw a principle he felt was being violated. I really admire that: For him, it wasn't a question of, 'What will work?' but, 'What is God calling us to?'

"I think he's going to cast a very long shadow. He's called us to believe in God and also to believe in ourselves. He loved us, and we all like to be loved."

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* Rev. Jerome Gingras, pastor of St. Mary's Church in Clinton Heights: "I was ordained in May [1978], and [John Paul II was elected in October]; I was ordained under John Paul I, but most of my career was under this pope. He was so good with youth. He was not afraid to be with them, to laugh with them, to touch them. When he went to pay his respects to the man who shot him -- talk about living out the Gospel!

"He made the Church personable. He gave it that humanness that's easily missed in such a huge institution. He'll be remembered as a modern-day prophet for his ability to speak with all kinds of people, to unite people who were at unrest. That's going to be his legacy."

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* Rev. Richard Carlino, pastor of St. John the Evangelist, St. Mary's and Holy Cross parishes in Schenectady, who had contact with the Pope while on sabbatical in Rome in 1999: "During Holy Week 1999, I was at Holy Thursday services [at the Vatican], and I was one of the 200 priests giving out Communion. [Pope John Paul] came over to the altar at the Offertory; I shouldn't have, but I looked in his direction. He looked directly at me and gave me a blessing! I almost passed out; it sent chills up and down my spine.

"He's so hard to summarize: a man of faith, a man of utter religious conviction. [His mark on the Church will be] the power of faith active in our lives -- the potential power of faith."

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* Rev. Stanislaus J. Swierzowski, pastor, St. John the Baptist and St. Casimir's, Amsterdam: "Pope John Paul II was a man who was faithful to Christ and loyal to his devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus. This meant a lot to me on a personal level. As a person who is also Polish, I've had a certain identification with the Pope and a sense of pride.

"He was a man who was very much influenced by the Second Vatican Council and the role of the laity in the Church, and I believe this has made a difference in the Church. His ideas on forgiveness and reconciliation have also been very public, such as his forgiveness of the man that attempted to assassinate him."

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* Rev. Carl Urban, pastor of St. Adalbert's parish, Schenectady: "The Pope is the Father of the Universal Church, but for Polish Catholics, he was personally and literally, 'our Holy Father.' He knew our culture and the history of the Polish people, our pains, hopes and dreams. He was very much one of us.

"Pope John Paul II brought the message of Jesus Christ and the Gospels far beyond the church building, out into society. He confronted the leadership of the world and the person on the street with that Gospel message. He brought it not only to Catholics and Christians but also to all nations and countries.

"My most vivid memory of him was 24 years ago when he was almost killed by an assassin. We were there in Rome on that day, and in such a busy city as Rome it became very quiet, almost solemn, with the exception of sirens blaring on and on. It seemed as if they would never stop. Later, we returned to St. Peter's Square and the Pope's chair was on the platform in the square. Officials had placed his picture on it along with beautiful red and white flowers and a picture of Our Lady of Czestochowa [the Black Madonna] of Poland. The square was filled with people praying for his recovery.

"I noticed that for his viewing, the Pope chose to be dressed in red and white garments, rather than the more traditional white or purple. They are the colors of the Polish flag."

(Reported by Kate Blain, assistant editor, and Pat Pasternak, staff writer.)

(4/7/05)