BinB News | BinB Events Town Sites | Ascot | Bracknell | Henley | Maidenhead | Marlow | Newbury | Slough | Reading | Windsor | Wokingham
Pope John Paul II - a personal note |
It was September 1979, in Ireland. There was great excitement in the village where I lived as we had planned to attend the Youth Mass in Co Galway, Ireland. Travelling down from Co. Tyrone in the North West was a fair old trip by anyone’s standards and long before the improved EU funded roads! There were cars, vans and busloads of people of all ages setting off on what seemed then a big adventure, to see and hear a very special visitor to Ireland – Pope John Paul II.
The place buzzed and as youth, we enjoyed ‘the craic’ along the way… schools were closed, almost everyone seemed to be caught up in the excitement of this historic event. People appeared to come from all over Ireland, even though the Pope’s itinerary included visits to several cities in the Republic of Ireland. Sadly his one visit to the North of Ireland had to be cancelled due to unexpected events at that time. My mother packed us off with enough food and drink to feed two busloads of people not just one – a perk of belonging to a big family with a caring Mum! My guess was that at some point we would be hungry and need something to eat, although this didn’t seem to be a priority issue at the time. I travelled in the car with my father and some friends and we travelled in convoy through the small towns and villages to Co Galway. We arrived very late in the evening and the Youth Mass took place the following day. Records state that 250,000 people attended the Galway event. It was a beautiful sunny day and when Pope Jean Paul II arrived the crowds cheered, clapped, sang and chanted. I recall the atmosphere as being electric – and even today (albeit 26 years later) I can still recall the vividness and splendour of the event. I felt very pleased and privileged to be there with my father and my friends. The wealth of emotions expressed and shared during the Youth Mass itself were immense - feelings of celebration, of connectedness, of sharing, of togetherness and of love. One particular moment of poignancy for me was that of a young man who lost his sight as a result of an incident during ‘the troubles’. Pope Jean Paul II spoke to the young people of Ireland with warmth and love. He denounced violence, paying particular attention to Northern Ireland. He spoke to us - we listened, we applauded and we held his words within our hearts. Pope John Paul II showed great stamina and energy back in 1979 and continued to display these qualities throughout his life. His words and charisma influenced not only people of the Catholic Church but people from other faiths too. Pope John Paul II will be fondly remembered as a great man. Mary Fraser |
