Priests remember experiences with pope

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
April 7, 2005

Pope John Paul II touched the lives of millions of people throughout the world, including some priests in the Diocese of Sioux City.

Msgr. Michael D. Sernett, chancellor of the Diocese of Sioux City, was a priest completing graduate studies in Rome when he met Karol Wojtyla, who was a cardinal at the time. Even then the man who would become the pope was a warm and pastoral person, taking the time to converse with seminarians and priests as he made his way to a papal liturgy.

The chancellor pointed out that when the pope came to Des Moines in 1979 he had been the master of ceremonies for Bishop Greteman at the time, so he had drove the bishop to the gathering.

"I was within about 15 feet of the Holy Father when he landed his helicopter and was vesting in the mobile home." Msgr. Sernett said, "I remember the day. It was cold and all of a sudden the sky opened and in came the helicopter. It absolutely cleared up, the sun shown for the rest of the days. It was one of the most remarkable sights I remember."

He was able to concelebrate and distribute Communion for that Mass.

"Even at the very beginning, the pope had such a strong pastoral presence," noted Msgr. Sernett. "It illuminated him and warmed your heart on that cool day."

While the pope was warm and welcoming, the chancellor noted that the Holy Father was also stern when needed.

"He never deviated from the principles and from the beliefs he knew were true no matter how many people would oppose him or speak the other side. He remained firm in his beliefs and the teachings of the church," said Msgr. Sernett. "It was always one of the virtues that I felt were extraordinary in this man. He knew the truth and stuck by it - a true spiritual leader. It was always something to strive for - to be like him."

Father Bruce Lawler, pastor at St. Mary Church in Storm Lake, was a seminarian at the North American College when Cardinal Karol Wojtyla was elected pope. He was able to briefly meet the pope when the Holy Father visited the college.

The election of the pope, he recalled, was an exciting and historic moment.

"Any papal election is, but this one in particular was because they did elect a non-Italian. There was great excitement," said Father Lawler. "It was a very unique experience."

While in Rome, the Storm Lake pastor had the opportunity to attend a few papal audiences and some special Masses. Christmas liturgies stand out for him.

Father Lawler said he would remember the pope for his willingness to take the message of the Gospel into the world in a literal sense through his extensive travels to visit his flock in the role of a pastor and teacher.

"He was truly a great man and great pope," he said. "He will be hard to equal."

Father David Hemann, pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Holstein and Sacred Heart Church in Ida Grove, studied in Rome from 1981 to 1985. He recalled seeing the pope for the first time in Rome in the fall of 1981 and thinking how healthy the man looked for having just been shot in the spring of that year. (The first time he saw the pope was in Des Moines in 1979.)

Like many seminarians, he pointed out that they would often go for the Wednesday audiences to join the pilgrims and travelers in the square of the Paul VI Audience Hall.

"Sometimes on Sundays, if I didn't go for the Angelus, I would just open my window at the North American College and I could sometimes faintly hear the message. We had regular contact with the pope in that way," said Father Hemann.

One of his most outstanding memories was of the electrical feeling at Midnight Mass.

"You could feel this awesome presence enter into the basilica," he said. "It was really a quite moving experience."

Ordained a transitional deacon in Rome on May 3, 1984, Father Hemann mentioned that they had an audience with the pope prior to this. The Holy Father addressed the deacon candidates from North American College, saying, "May you grow in holiness and single-heartedly in love with Christ." He has this on video.

After studying in Rome, the priest made a trip back in 1999 for a North American College reunion. On that visit, Father Hemann personally experienced the friendliness and warmth of the pope. The priest had taken one of his CDs along and extended it out to the Holy Father. The pope blessed it and gave it back.

"I said, 'No, Holy Father, this is a gift for you.' He looked at the picture and said, 'That's you.' Then said, 'Thank you.' He was so personable," said Father Hemann. "He had a warmth for seminarians and priests."

The pastor made another trip back to Rome in September of 2004, on a pilgrimage with about 23 people. Father Hemann had noticed a significant decline in the physical health of the pope at that time, but even in that weakened state the Holy Father greeted people for hours after the audience.

Knowing that the Holy Father had a strong love of the Divine Mercy devotion, Father Hemann found it as no surprise that the head shepherd died on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday.

Father Matthew Hewitt, assistant pastor at St. Mary Church in Storm Lake, also studied in Rome for four years. He was among a group of seminarians who attended several private and general audiences with the pope.

"It was always fun to attend those. Even though I saw him many times, I would always get kind of emotional because he is such a loving person and you would feel that Christ was present in him," he said. "He was always fun with the crowd and the crowd would always cheer. There was a beautiful exchange between him and the people of all nationalities. Under him, you really saw a unity despite the diversity in language and culture."

As a seminarian Father Hewitt had the opportunity to serve for the pope a couple of times, one was the Jan. 1, 2001, Mass for the Solemnity of Mary.

"It was a big celebration in the square and another time was as a deacon. I was one of the Communion deacons. There were about 20 of us gathered around the altar, holding the bread that the pope was consecrating and then we took Communion out to the people," recalled the priest. "It was surreal."

That was also a special occasion - the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple. At St. Peter's, it was a celebration for the religious.

"The basilica was filled with all these monks, sisters and religious who have committed their lives to God in a formal way. Celebrating with all of these holy people - it was just the place you wanted to be," said Father Hewitt.

He explained that there was a tradition where the Holy Father would celebrate Mass in his private chapel using the chalice of transitional deacons. About a year ago, the pope used a chalice of Father Hewitt's that had been a gift from his parents.

"I used it at St. Mary's for the Christmas Mass and again for Holy Thursday," said Father Hewitt, who added that he also used the chalice for the Mass to celebrate and honor the Holy Father.

The pope, noted the priest, always presented the truth and would never back down from what the church teaches and Christ taught.

Father Brad Pelzel, a member of the Webster County team ministry, studied in Rome from the fall of 1998 to the spring of 2003.

He pointed out that quite frequently seminarians would go to the pope's summer home outside of Rome for an audience. He has also attended several papal liturgies.

"After I was ordained a priest, I actually got to celebrate Christmas Eve 2002 with him," noted Father Pelzel. "I was able to concelebrate with 50 or 60 priests. It was incredible. It was one of those situations where you are standing there and thinking that 'I can't believe I'm actually here, celebrating Mass with the Holy Father.'"

Even at that time, Father Pelzel mentioned that the pope's health wasn't very good. He mentioned that he could tell the cardinals had wanted the pope to remain seated, but the Holy Father wanted to stand during the Eucharistic prayer. Two cardinals had to help hold him up.

Father Pelzel described his time in Rome as very blessed. He could personally witness that while the pope struggled with physical ailments, the Holy Father's mind remained sharp.

"One of the things that made him so influential is that he really was the voice for traditional Catholic morality and teachings," said the priest.

He found the pope's love for people to be incredible.