Tower Topics ~ Summer 2005

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‘More alive than we are’: Seminarians remember John Paul II

by Nathan Byrne

The faithful didn’t consider him political. The political considered themselves with him faithfully. Consider this, though – whether they agreed with his decisions or not, the young men training for the priesthood at Conception Seminary College see John Paul II’s decisions as the right ones – unscathed by politics and protected by the forcefield we know as the Holy Spirit.

“There are aspects of conservatism that are right and there were some that the Holy Father saw as not right, such as the death penalty,” emphasized Barry Clayton, a 23-year-old junior at Conception Seminary College. “There are aspects of liberalism the Holy Father saw as very good – the social concerns for the poor and the needy, but issues such as the stance on abortion, he said that that’s not right.”

Though he has known just one pope in his lifetime, Clayton’s faith in the guidance of the Holy Spirit tells him the next Bishop of Rome will serve the needs of the Catholic Church as John Paul did, not catering to any political interests.

“I would not say that the Holy Father was conservative or liberal,” Clayton remarked, pointing his clasped hands down an imaginary line in the center of the table. “He really, earnestly sought the truth and I believe that the next Holy Father will carry that on in serving his Church faithfully.”

***

Seminarian John McGavick’s life spans three papacies, with a fourth on the horizon. Yet, the 31-year-old senior at CSC only has memories of one Holy Father. McGavick, who was too young to recall the whirlwind of 1978, will remember John Paul II as a teacher who fulfilled his obligation to his pupils throughout his life and up until his death and beyond.

“He’s going to show us how to die,” McGavick thought as it became more evident that the Pope’s final days were fast approaching.

When the day of John Paul’s death arrived, McGavick felt an impact that he’s still trying to sort out today.

“I tried to think, ‘How many ways did he really touch me? What did he really say or do that had such an impact on me that made it such a difficult day?’,” McGavick said as he searched within himself for answers.

As he listened to a CD of the Pope singing and speaking in various languages, McGavick felt relaxed. The words, most of which he didn’t even understand, put him at ease.

“I think that’s how he touched me,” said McGavick with a sense of discovery. “There was something in the way, even he spoke, that was comforting.”

Foreign languages weren’t the only thing that mesmerized McGavick that day. Psalms that he had read hundreds, maybe even thousands of times, seemed to carry a stronger message.

“There is something beyond,” said McGavick, almost blissfully, “Something more to him than just how he looks, that he can speak seven languages fluently and that he has 23 others that he can at least speak in. There’s something more, though, than that. It seems that the words fall short, but there’s something more.”

When McGavick heard someone refer to the Pope as being “gone, but really alive,” his newfound, mysterious enlightenment led him to expand on that comment.

“He’s more alive than we are,” McGavick said in realization.

***

“I’m going to see the Pope,” said the young American tourist in need of an immediate – if not instantaneous – wardrobe update. “Please let me in!”

One after another, the Italian shopkeepers took turns either ignoring Cameron Smith or telling him he was crazy.

Though not insane, he had started to feel a little crazy. Smith had only packed clothes appropriate for his backpacking trip through Italy. But fate, luck or God’s Will – however you want to slice it – put Smith and his bishop from back home in Cheyenne in Rome at the same time. And his bishop had a meeting scheduled with the Pope.

“I was astounded that this was actually happening to me,” Smith said.

Just minutes before, his bishop had invited him to come along and meet Pope John Paul. Without a mini-miracle, Smith was less than two hours away from going to St. Peter’s Basilica in a t-shirt and shorts.

Then, the Holy Spirit showed up in the form of a pair of street vendors with a car trunk full of Italian suits. With minutes to spare, Smith also found an open shoe store, and made his way to St. Peter’s.

Cameron Smith only met with the Pope for five minutes, but he had waited much longer for that moment.

“He represented the priesthood to me,” said Smith, who will always remember the picture of his uncle, a priest, and his great-grandmother with the Pope years earlier, “He has put so much effort into priestly vocation.”

Seminarian Cameron Smith is greeted by John Paul II during a visit to Rome
last year. Smith's bishop, David Ricken (center), a Conception alumnus,
surprised him with an invitation to join him for a papal audience.

Today, the 21-year-old junior at Conception Seminary College has his own picture, his own story and his own influential moment.

“It’s inspirational to know that I was in the presence of somebody who has done so much for our Church and our world,” Smith said in awe.

Smith hopes the next Pope will relate to the youth with the same concern John Paul had for vocations and sees the change as an opportunity for the Church.

“The newness could be a great thing for renewal,” said Smith.

Ultimately, Smith said, the Holy Spirit is in the driver’s seat, “The guidance of the Holy Spirit will give the Pope the strength to lead the Church where God wants it.”

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