The passing of Pope John Paul II on Saturday was honored in last night's 10:00 p.m. Catholic Mass in Goddard Chapel.
The Mass, which also celebrated the Sunday of Divine Mercy, was presented bilingually - the first of three readings was read in Spanish.
The Mass has been planned over the past few weeks, but Father Joe Foster - who presided over the Mass - felt that it was a fitting tribute to the Pope, as the Pope himself was multilingual, and traveled around the world to invite others to celebrate Mass with him.
In his homily, Foster related what he sees as a personal miracle involving Pope John Paul II. During a pilgrimage to Rome - which he made during his early years as a priest - he met the Pope and delivered to him a note from his mother who was beginning chemotherapy and was unable to travel to Rome.
The Pope replied to his mother's note a few months later, and from that point on, her liver and lung cancer went into a nine-year remission.
In response to the Pope's passing, freshman Mike Cronin said, "It's sad that he is gone, but he seemed to be in a lot of pain ... I'm glad he was able to go peacefully and in his home."
"A lot of people are really sad, but at the same time the Pope has lived a great life and accomplished a lot," sophomore Jason Yu, treasurer for the Catholic Center, said. "It's bittersweet ... he is in heaven now."
Ann Penick, associate Catholic chaplain, praised the Pope for his unwavering moral stance during his lifetime and his ability to disregard the political perceptions of his words and push for what he believed to be right.
Penick said she sees the current situation as very interesting and is curious to see who the next Pope will be. She said that it is very difficult to speculate on the decision, but that it, "could be someone who is an interim Pope," like John XXIII.
But even in John XXIII's short reign, he was able to organize The Second Vatican Council and change the face of Christianity. It is a very interesting and, "very much a fluid situation," Penick said.
