farewell, john paul ii

In 1981, John Paul II made his first papal visit to the Philippines. My sister had just been born and looked like a little Caucasian siopao: we joked that the Santo Papa was her grandfather. During the World Youth Day celebrations, we camped out at Roxas to catch a glimpse of him and hear him say Mass.

The world mourns the passing of a great man. It is the end of an era, and the Roman Catholic Church has lost one of its greatest Popes. Some say it was like losing a family member, a beloved patriarch. The Lord has called back his shepherd—we are all mortal, after all—but in the end, Karol Wojtyla became one of the world's greatest men, who became the staunch, reforming, unifying leader of a sometimes-wavering faith, and he will always be remembered as such. He was the only Pope I knew, and his impact on the church and on individual lives will be felt for ages to come.

Last Song Syndrome : the Breakfast theme