Yeah, Right, Whatever

For those of you who don’t know, I was raised Catholic, and I very proud of my religious heritage. And, when I say I was raised Catholic, I mean it. Dad was an usher and active in the Men’s Club. Mom worked at the rectory for a while (first as the cook, then as the secretary), and she was a Eucharistic Minister. I went to Blessed Sacrament Grade School and Bishop Althoff Catholic High School (even if no one used the word “Bishop” in the school’s title, there was a reason the old guy was in the yearbook every year). (And, gang, no “Catholic School Girl jokes… my dad reads my site now, ok?)

I was eight years old when Karol Cardinal Wojtyla was elected Pontiff and became John Paul II. When I was born, Pope Paul VI was Pontiff, and then there was Pope John Paul I’s brief term in 1978. It was amazing to me (but not as amazing as it seems to some people) that he only lived a little over a month after his election. Since we had just been through the process, it seemed a little boring to an eight year old girl. But, hey, I was a news junkie even then, so I watched whatever news there was about it.

When the white smoke came from the Sistine Chapel chimney, I thought it was so cool that a Pole had become Pope (no offense to the Italians, but share the love, ok?) You see, my Godfather was Polish (as in spoke-Polish-to-his-mother Polish).

Hey, who's that with my Uncle Frank?

He was a member of the Polish National Alliance. He took me to a Polish Mass every year before the PNA Christmas Party. He went back to Warsaw whenever he could. And, one of his people had become Pope.

My godfather and Pope John Paul II

At the time, I had only one gripe with the new Pope. His choice of name. I mean, Albino Luciani had shown a certain amount of creativity (or lack of decision-making skills, depending on how you looked at it) by choosing the name John Paul. It almost seemed like Cardinal Wojtyla took the easy way out. (Yeah, now I understand that he was honoring his predecessor, but, hey! I was eight. Give me a break!)

Growing up, I don’t think I realized John Paul II’s influence on world events- President Reagan and Margaret Thatcher were always in the headlines at the end of the Cold War, not John Paul II. What I did notice is that he wasn’t a “normal” pope- or at least what I considered normal. I mean, popes don’t ski, do they? Or have photography books lying around. And they are definitely not supposed to be actors or playwrights. And he seemed almost too young to be Pope. I mean, those guys are supposed to be ancient, right? So, to many young Catholics, this guy was cool!

Looking back on JPII’s time as Pontiff, many people are trying to figure out what his legacy will be. They talk about the Cold War, and how he was an inspiration to folks living behind the Iron Curtain. They talk about his affirmation of Life in all its stages, from his staunch Pro-Life stance (and traditional Catholic stand on contraceptives) to the dignified way he approached the end of his own life. And they talk about his love of children, how they were drawn to him, and he to them.

It might sound weird, but he almost made it cool to be “religious” for American Catholic youth. He made spirituality a little less stuffy, all while remaining true to his beliefs. His impact on American youth is clearly seen in the number of young people (when I say “young,” I mean those who grew up during his time as pope) who have gone into the ministry (as nuns and priests) or laity who have chosen to take their Catholic faith seriously. That is the legacy that will carry on.

As I said, I was raised Catholic. I’m not Catholic anymore. I didn’t leave the church because of any of the reasons that many ex-Catholics do- I just wanted to worship in a different way. But I’ll always be grateful for that upbringing, the knowledge I gained, and the foundation that was laid for my faith. And, now that I’m older and have found a way of worship that I can grow with, I can only hope that I can go through all the stages of my life with as much grace and dignity and faith as His Holiness did.