Detroit – News of the forthcoming beatification of Pope John Paul II evoked praise and acclaim from those who knew and worked with him or have other personal recollections, and that has included some within the Archdiocese of Detroit.
“The news that Pope Benedict XVI will beatify the Venerable John Paul II on May 1 brings joy to the whole Church,” said Archbishop Allen Vigneron upon learning of the Holy Father’s approval for beatification of his predecessor as pontiff.
“All of us have our own particular fond memories of this great pastor, our beloved father in Christ – many of them coming from his visit to the archdiocese in September 1987,” said the archbishop, who spent some time working at one of the Vatican dicasteries during part of Pope John Paul’s 27-year papacy.
“In his days among us he showed us the face of Christ. As we venerate his memory, he still does us that service from the Father’s house in heaven,” Archbishop Vigneron added.
Msgr. Walter Ziemba, former rector of SS. Cyril & Methodius Seminary, Orchard Lake, first met the late pope when he was still Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Krakow, Poland, and hosted him during two visits to the Orchard Lake Schools campus.
“His beatification is a gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church today,” said Msgr. Ziemba who used to meet regularly with Pope John Paul during his pontificate in connection with his duties on the board of the Rome-based Pope John Paul II Foundation.
He also did the English translation of pontiff’s book, “Arise, Let Us Be On Our Way” (Doubleday, 2004) and was himself the author of “John Paul II – Reflections on the Man” (Paulist Press, 2005).
“The beatification is literally a crowning of his life, work, toil and sacrifice,” Msgr. Ziemba continued, adding that it is also a gift of the Holy Spirit to everyone who knew him personally and related to him.
“It’s a unique gift to have known him, to have prayed with him, to have offered the Eucharist with him, to have worked with him and talked with him, and to know that one day that wonderful gift of Jesus – the Church – will make the supreme declaration that he indeed is a saint,” monsignor added.
Msgr. Michael Dylag is another local priest who had considerable contact with the late pope over the years, largely through his friendship with then-Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, who was the pontiff’s secretary and is now cardinal-archbishop of Krakow.
“I think it’s great,” he said about the beatification, adding, “It took six years, but I’m happy that the Church and the pope decided to elevate him.”
Msgr. Dylag reckons he had dinner with Pope John Paul about 30 times over a span of 37 years, dating to his time as Krakow’s archbishop, and also celebrated Mass with him in his private chapel about that many times.
Thanks to Archbishop Dziwisz, Msgr. Dylag was able to assemble a collection of items associated with the late pope – old cassocks and vestments, shoes, fountain pen, even his skiis – which he turned into an exhibit on the Orchard Lake campus.
He later gave the memorabilia to the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., where it was exhibited.
While Msgr. Dylag is not certain what will now become of the collection, with the impending sale of the center, he is certain that he will be there – at the Vatican – for the May 1 beatification ceremony.
