SSA News

Remembering a Pope's Visit
April 02, 2005
Mercedes Downie ('96)

Pope John Paul II was, was the most widely travelled Pope in history. He touched billions of lives, and while many of his great accomplishments have been reported in the media, one seems to have gone largely unmentioned. Pope Jean Paul II called for the youth of the world to take a stand against descrimination, violence, and injustice. He told them that they were important, loved, and could be a powerful force for change. Several SSA alums attended World Youth Day 1993, in Denver, and many have seen him in his other visits around the world. In this article, Mercedes shares with us her childhood memories of the Pope's visit to Northern California.

One of the most vivid memories of my childhood was the time I laid eyes on His Holiness Pope John Paul II. Today, on the occasion of his passing, my Dad brought out our photo album from the Pope's visit to the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California, on Thursday, September 17th, 1987. I was only nine years old, but I recall so many details.

We woke up while it was still dark outside, and got on a bus. The location of the mass was a giant dirt field that had been filled with red flowers to create aisles and sections for the people. We waited, and waited, as thousands of other people arrived, filling the hillsides. There were so many people those in the distance looked like pin pricks on the horizon. A giant white cross had been erected at the top of one of the hills. My sister and I hiked towards it, alongside what must have been a million red flowers, lined up like a carpet to the cross. After a half-day's waiting, the Pope seemed to have arrived and we got excited at the prospect of seeing him and his famous "Pope-mobile." I can't remember which came first, the mass or the procession through the crowd.

My sister and I climbed up something to be taller (I remember a fence but there is none in the pictures) and strained to see him coming nearer. We fortunately had arrived early, and my parents had been clever enough to stake a spot right next to the pathway. The white Pope-mobile came closer and we started waving our hands. I think it went around a little corner, and suddenly there he was, lifting his hand and smiling right at us. My Dad snapped a picture with his telephoto lens, and so that moment is forever captured for my family.

After the mass and tour was over, we had to get home - which turned out to be an ordeal. There were so many people the buses couldn't take everyone, and we had to wait. I remember hearing of old people fainting from the sun, and I definitely recall the box lunches passed out to everyone. I, to this day, still get excited at the mere suggestion of a box lunch. And everyone got to take home the potted red flowers.

I am so grateful to have seen him, especially as a child, and experienced the excitement amidst his presence. I pray the Lord bless his soul, and may he rest in peace in Heaven forever.