Area Catholics bid farewell to pope

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff Writer

GALLUP — Local Catholics said farewell to Pope John Paul II in a memorial Mass held Friday evening at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

Bishop Donald E. Pelotte celebrated the Mass in honor of the late Holy Father, who was buried in Rome's St. Peter's Basilica early Friday morning. The Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral was being held, Pelotte said, to mourn his death and to celebrate his life. In addition to Friday's service, the cathedral has had four other special memorial Masses each evening since Monday.

The church was nearly filled to capacity. According to Pelotte, the previous memorial Masses had drawn at least 200 to 250 people each evening. A portrait of Pope John Paul II was displayed at the front of the church, and worshippers were also given prayer cards as a spiritual memento of the late pontiff.

Since the pope's death, the news media has been awash in stories that have testified to the tremendous influence John Paul II had on the world. Pelotte noted that with the pope's televised funeral, John Paul II continued to be an influence because the funeral Mass was the most watched Christian liturgy in the history of the world.

Calling John Paul II "an articulate voice" for social justice and peace, Pelotte said the pontiff reached out to people of all religions and took the Gospel to all parts of the world.

"He treated the world as a vast neighborhood," the bishop said.

According to Pelotte, the Gospel reading for the Mass was the suggested reading for all churches celebrating a memorial Mass. The reading related the story of the two men who encountered the resurrected Jesus on the road to Emmaus and walked with him and broke bread with him on the journey.

Like Jesus in the Gospel account, Pelotte said, "John Paul II was a companion to all of us on our journey through life."

"He never feared to declare the truth," Pelotte added, "but always in love."

"Give thanks to God for his extraordinary gift of John Paul II," said the bishop, who encouraged all in the church to stand up and clap in appreciation of the pontiff's life.

Toward the end of his homily, the bishop quoted Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger on John Paul II: "For all of us, he remains unforgettable."