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The pope strengthened them in their faith

THE REV. WILLIAM J. SWENGROS

Swengros, canon lawyer for the Diocese of St. Petersburg, met Pope John Paul II for the first time in 1995, when he visited the Vatican with other students from Saint Paul University in Ottawa.

"We were all standing in a large room and he came in and greeted each one. We were all from different countries, and he came and spoke to each of us in our native tongue and was really genuinely interested in why we were there and what was going on. He had a great sense of humor," he said.

Swengros said he met the pope again on May 18, 2001, the pontiff's birthday. It was also the anniversary of the priest's ordination.

"At this time, he was seated, and he had aged quite a bit. And I knelt before him and he gave me my blessing and I wished him a happy birthday. I told him I had just been appointed pastor of Most Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Gulfport and I asked him to pray for me and for our parish. And then he reached out and traced the sign of the cross on my forehead. It was very powerful," he said.

Director of research for a grant program at Stetson University College of Law

Dine became a Catholic a week ago, on Easter. She said Pope John Paul II was largely responsible for her decision to join the church. The daughter of a Polish-American Catholic and a Muslim Albanian, Dine said she is grateful to the Polish pope for the part he played in ending communism in Eastern Europe.

"I saw him twice. . . . And he's somebody, when you watch him and you listen to him, he really emanates holiness," she said. "I specifically went to go to Mass with him. And both times I cried, and both times it reaffirmed my conviction that this is what I have to do, is to become Catholic."

Director of the Justice and Peace office for the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany

"One of the things that I think we can honestly say about him is that he was truly a holy man and was concerned for all people, not just Catholics. And that was borne out when he visited all corners of the world. A lot of places he went to, the main religion was not Catholic," she said.

Another thing that impressed Sister Rosemarie was the pope's rapport with young people and his ability to forgive and to ask for forgiveness.

"He forgave the man who shot him. When he visited places where Catholics had done something wrong, he asked for forgiveness for the church," she said.

Chair of the review board set up to deal with cases of sexual misconduct, is a reader at the Cathedral of St. Jude the Apostle.

"I do think that the Catholic church is very blessed. He was the right man for the job during this past 26-year period," Brett said.

"I like the fact that he was outspoken in defense of life issues. I think that he bridged a lot of gaps that existed between people."

She thinks the period of sexual misconduct accusations was "probably one of the darkest times" for the church.

"I think this is something that probably tore his heart in two to think that children were exposed to such a horrible experience at the hands of those who would represent him, but at the same time, I think that he was pleased that the exposure of this darkness in the church was something that he was able to participate in the healing and the necessary correction of this evil."

Owner of Saint Anthony's Catholic Gift Shop in Tampa.

Sierra met Pope John Paul II in 1996 while traveling to Italy with two others during a program to promote the celebration of one's baptism as a birthday.

"You're like, in awe," Sierra said, describing the experience.

She and two companions obtained permission to attend a Mass with about 100 other people where the pope spends his summers. After the Mass, they were given a few minutes to address the pope.

"I felt so privileged to be there," she said. "We were thrilled."

Pastor at Espiritu Santo Catholic Church in Safety Harbor.

"I always admired his pastoral zeal, with all the trips he took and not being a bureaucrat, but always reaching out to the people," said Schneider, who was weeks away from his ordination when the pope was shot in 1981.

"I think that most Catholics have great admiration for him, especially because of the early years of his pontificate, in Eastern Europe, the fall of communism and his courage for almost being killed after the assassination attempt. I think that's what most Catholics would see in him, his historical significance and his great personal courage."

- Interviews by WAVENEY ANN MOORE and SANDRA AMRHEIN