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 Prayer for favours through the intercession of the late Pope John Paul II
June 26, 2005. In the last phase of the process of beatification, proof will be required of a miracle attributed to Karol Wojtyla's intercession. The Diocese of Rome published the written prayer to implore favors through the intercession of the late Pope John Paul II. The process of beatification will officially begin June 28. Following is the text of the prayer:
O Blessed Trinity,
We thank you for having graced the Church with Pope John Paul II and for allowing the tenderness of your Fatherly care,
the glory of the cross of Christ, and the splendor of the Holy Spirit, to shine through him.
Trusting fully in Your infinite mercy and in the maternal intercession of Mary, he has given us a living image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, and has shown us that holiness is the necessary measure of ordinary Christian life and is the way of achieving eternal communion with you.
Grant us, by his intercession, and according to Your will, the graces we implore, hoping that he will soon be numbered among your saints. Amen.
Polish Pilgrims Blocked from Viewing John Paul II
April 7, 2005. The endless river of people lining up to view the body of Pope John Paul II was blocked from the Vatican at 10 pm last night, just as hundreds of Poles from Wadowice, the birth place of the Holy Father, arrived at the back of the line. The disappointment of those, some of whom had travelled for days, only to discover they are not allowed this last visit, was made even more bitter by the fact that the line has been blocked as George Bush and his entourage were led into the crypt for a private viewing.
Mourning our Holy Father
April 3rd, 2005. The world is deeply saddened by the death of the Holy Father, but Poland is a country bereft. Poles mourn their spiritual father, their great friend, and their liberator from the comunist regime. Saturday evening John Paul II has departed on his last trip, the trip from which he will never come back to Wadowice.
None of us in Wadowice will ever forget Holy Father's last farewell to his home town. He was too weak to make a visit, it was too late in his schedule, but he would not leave Poland without this last look at the countryside that was his birthplace.
Did he know then, when he circled in his helicopter over the crowd gathered in Wadowice's main square, yellow from the waving flags, that he is seing his Wadowice for the last time? And did we know then, that it is the last time we see him in person?
Did we know, at that fleeting moment, that this is our last goodbye? And, if we didn't, why then did our hearts beat so, why so many tears were falling, and why, when we lost sight of that helicopter, were we overcome with such profound sadness?
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