From the Milwaukee Avenue march
Posted on 04/08/2005 6:29:32 PM PDT by Land_of_Lincoln_John
April 8, 2005 — Thousands of people marched through the streets of Chicago Friday, saying a final farewell to Pope John Paul the Second.
Chicago is home to an estimated one million people of Polish heritage. They are almost all Roman Catholic, and they are enormously proud of Pope John Paul II, who is one of their own from Poland and also someone very instrumental in the transformation of their country from communism to democracy.
Local Polish leaders decided to organize a very traditional event to remember the pope Friday, a large and very moving processional between one prominent Polish church and another. The traditional religious procession honoring the memory of the first Polish pope attracted an estimated 10,000 Polish-Americans from all over the Chicago area for a dignified, five-mile walk through the heart of the Polish community, along Milwaukee Avenue.
"It's a wonderful feeling to be part of the Polish culture and to walk with all these people that feel the same way, knowing what he's done for us and for other countries. It's great to participate," said Claudia Fijal, parade participant.
"We are never going to forget him. That's why we are doing this thing for him today," said Greg Wojtowicz, parade participant.
"Just as much as we have memorial parades, so this is a memorial, a religious memorial," said another marcher.
The massive crowd virtually shut down the businesses and the traffic along Milwaukee Avenue. But this is one of those rare occasions when most people seem to accept the inconvenience.
"I was wondering why traffic was so bad and then I just kind of weaved my way up here," said Bill Tellmann, motorcyclist.
"I feel sad because he passed away but happy because I see all these people love him so much, we all love him and we always will," said Carmen Rivera, shop employee.
The two-and-a-half hour procession arrived early Friday afternoon at St. Hyacinth Church on the West Side where John Paul visited several times as a cardinal. The church was packed with more than 2,000 people for a special mass in honor of the pope. Several thousand others filled the streets in front of the church to remember John Paul in their own way.
Some of the people who left after the services said candidly that they are not frequent churchgoers. In fact, only one-quarter of the Chicago-area Roman Catholics attend church regularly. But there was a special bond between them and John Paul as the first Polish pope. They point out that he may be the last Polish pope and they are going to remember him not just for that significant fact, but for all he did for the homeland of Poland and for
what he meant to so many people the world over.
Parishioners fill Chicago churches to watch pope's funeral
Several churches in the Chicago area were filled at 3 a.m. Friday as the pope's funeral was held thousands of miles away. From bells ringing to people praying and a five-mile long procession, many people bid a final farewell to Pope John Paul II in many different ways.
Early Friday morning there wasn't a seat to be had at Five Holy Martyrs Catholic Church on the city's southwest side. The largely Polish parish felt a special bond with the Holy Father.
"For me and many, many Catholics he has just gone to a different life right now. He's completed his mission," said Wesley Kupiec.
"This is the only Pope our generation has known. He was Polish, I'm Polish and that has a lot to do with it," said Grace Wesolowski.
Some cried while watching the funeral live on Polish television. Many of those born in Poland feel they owe their freedom to a man who was a crusader against communism.
"He raised the dignity of the Polish culture and the Polish people. Because of him the world started to take Poland more seriously," said father Gerald Grupcyznski, Five Holy Martyrs Church.
On the city's northwest side at the Jesuit Millenium Center-- members of the Polish community held a mass timed to coincide with the funeral mass at the Vatican. The sanctuary overflowed with people who wanted to watch the service and remember the pope together.
Some of those who began their day by watching the pope's funeral before sunrise continued it by taking part in a five mile procession between two churches.
Children view pope's funeral at Catholic school Four hundred grade school students in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood had planned a trip to see the pope this summer. Friday morning, they gathered at school to watch John Paul the Second's funeral.
At St. Agnes of Bohemia, the largest Hispanic school in the Chicago archdiocese, children began the day by watching a videotape of the pope's funeral. Even some of the very young appeared awestruck by the immense historical event unfolding before their eyes.
"I thought it was important for them to understand what this is all about. This is a very sad time for our church," sad Julie Brown, principal.
Many of them had been watching the television coverage. All of them knew the Holy Father was sick and dying.
"He went to the hospital three times, I think, and he couldn't breathe – that's what I heard when I was watching. It made me very worried. I knew he would die right now," said Ana Arciga, student.
"He's important to my family. My grandpa said he's the most religious person in the world. It's very sad for him to die," said Ramiro Rueda, 10 years old.
Mostly, the children wanted to know why he was so important, why John Paul the Second was so loved.
"A lot of them, especially the little ones, they don't understand why it's such a big deal, why he's so beloved by so many people who are Catholic," said Rachel Johnson, teacher.
The answer, for Karina Ruiz, one of the older students, as it is for so many, lies in her heart.
"He meant a lot to me. He's the one who tells us everything. He personally changed me and the way I look at the Catholic religion," said Ruiz, student.
And that connection to the youth was the hallmark of John Paul's papacy.
Mass in honor of pope held at Holy Name Cathedral
A very special mass in honor of Pope John Paul II will be held at Holy Name Cathedral Friday.
The mass brought together faithful from all over the archdiocese. The archdiocese asked that every parish send two representatives to the mass in an effort to bring people from diverse congregations together to unite in their faith and reverence for the pope. There are 375 parishes in the archdiocese.
From the Milwaukee Avenue march
Ping
I'm assuming those cranky anti-prayer folks will be descending on the talk shows to bitch about this.
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