On a chilly night Friday, Becca Danis (SFS ’06) joined tens of thousands of worshippers praying for the wellbeing of Pope John Paul II in Vatican City.
Danis, who was visiting Rome for a summit on women and Catholicism, sat on the cold floor of St. Peter’s Square for hours watching the windows of the pope’s apartment. She joined the crowd in the rosary and the litany of the saints. And she cried the next morning when the pope’s spokesman announced John Paul’s appreciation for the young people praying for him in the square.
“It was the quietest I have ever seen St. Peter’s Square,” Danis said. “We knew that he could not live forever, but when the end came it was stunning and no one could believe it.”
Now Danis is one of the many Georgetown students, faculty and administrators grieving the loss of a man many say will be remembered as one of the Catholic Church’s greatest leaders.
“Pope John Paul II was a profound and inspiring leader for the Church and for the world,” University President John J. DeGioia said in a campus wide broadcast e-mail Saturday. “His leadership and love set an extraordinary example for all members of our community.”
A special Mass will be held tomorrow afternoon in Gaston Hall to commemorate the pontiff’s life, Fr. Philip Boroughs, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry, said. Boroughs, who is organizing Georgetown’s response to John Paul’s death, said that all members of the university community would be invited to the service, which will feature sermons by ministers of various faiths and a speech by DeGioia.
The bells in Healy Tower will toll in remembrance of the pope at noon tomorrow, and a special book will remain in Dahlgren Chapel this week for students and faculty to write their memories of his life, Boroughs said. The book will later be presented to the Apostolic Nuncio of Washington, D.C., the city’s representative from the Vatican.
Two leading candidates to succeed John Paul, Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Belgium and Cardinal Francis Arinze of Nigeria, received honorary degrees from Georgetown in 2003.
Arinze drew fire from some Georgetown students and faculty when he declared that homosexuality “mocked” the Catholic ideal of the family during the university’s 2003 commencement ceremony.
Chester Gillis, chair of Georgetown’s Theology Department and an expert in American Catholicism, said that John Paul’s tenure as pope had a significant impact on Georgetown and other Catholic universities’ educational missions.
The pope’s “strong defense of human rights and social justice,” as well as his commitment to reaching out to Catholics worldwide and promoting international understanding, created priorities within the church that led to a new emphasis on international service and justice programs at universities like Georgetown, Gillis said.
John Paul II also fostered a closer connection between the church and theologians serving at Catholic universities, Gillis said, by allowing theologians the option of requesting permission from a bishop before accepting a university position.
Dennis McAuliffe, chair of the Catholic Studies Program, said that the pope’s emphasis on service among young people also continues to resonate with Georgetown students.
“He especially encouraged young people to do something to better the life quality of the poor,” he said. “At GU this translated into the many social outreach programs that students are engaged in.”
Catholic student organizations on campus have also joined in remembering John Paul’s life. The Catholic Daughters held a special meeting to pray for the pope yesterday after a campus ass.
“Pope John Paul II has led a life that is an inspiration to all Catholics, but most especially he has been a model for all young Catholics,” Bridget Bowes (COL ’07), a member of Catholic Daughters, said. “His influence among youth has spread further than any previous pope’s. He inspired Catholic youths to be better and more devoted to their faith.”
H. J. Shea (COL ’07), head of the Georgetown Knights of Columbus, said that other events in memory of the pope were also scheduled for the upcoming week.
Philosophy Professor Alex Pruss will show a documentary about the pontiff’s life, and student groups are considering a vigil in his memory and a panel of speakers commenting on the upcoming transition in the Church, Shea said. Some groups, such as the Knights of Columbus, will also play liturgical roles in Wednesday’s Mass.
Despite the various ways in which students and faculty are commemorating the life and career of the pope, for many, John Paul’s death is an important time of spiritual change and renewal.
“Sitting there in silence, just being in solidarity with the Holy Father who I knew was suffering in his last moments on earth, was an experience I will never forget,” Danis said.
