Milwaukee Catholics celebrate pope’s 25th anniversary Archbishop Dolan leads packed basilica in honoring John Paul II By Sam Lucero of Catholic Herald staff Milwaukee — With a mariachi band strumming guitars and bellowing out Spanish hymns from the choir loft of the Basilica of St. Josaphat Oct. 19, a Mass in celebration of Pope John Paul II’s 25th anniversary began with a taste of ethnic diversity.

Papal Blessing — Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan examines a framed papal blessing presented to the Basilica of St. Josaphat by Pope John Paul II. The papal blessing was presented at the end of the 25th anniversary Mass Oct. 19. Catholic Herald photo by Sam Lucero

That cultural diversity continued with the opening procession, as members of the Syrena Polish dancers, dressed in traditional Polish attire carried to the sanctuary a portrait of Our Lady of Czestochova. Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan was the main celebrant and homilist at the Mass, which attracted a capacity crowd of about 1,300 worshipers. Among those in attendance were civic and community leaders, including several Milwaukee mayoral candidates.

During his homily, Archbishop Dolan confessed that he thought his homily “would be one of the easiest homilies to preach, since to extol John Paul II comes so naturally to all of us.”

However, “it has proven to be one of the toughest sermons to preach precisely because there’s so much to say,” he added. “From a purely human, natural point of view, one could give a graduate course on his accomplishments, from the fall of communism to the prodigious travels; from a supernatural perspective, one could speak volumes about a towering man of God who is sure to be called by history ‘John Paul the Great’ and most probably ‘Pope St. John Paul.’”

Instead, Archbishop Dolan focused on the title John Paul chose for his pontificate.

“Karol Josep Wojtyla told us something about his vision of his ministry as supreme pontiff of the church universal when he chose those names of two apostles,” said Archbishop Dolan.

“In selecting St. John ... (he) tells us that what is most important to him is his deep love for and faith in Jesus,” he said. “If Karol Wojtyla would today not be known to the world outside his beloved Krakow — he could care less, for his most important possession ... is his faith in and love for Jesus Christ. “

Archbishop Dolan said John Paul is like St. John in three ways: his intense love for the Eucharist, his love for Mary, and his standing at the cross with Jesus.

“John was the only one of the 12 to be with his savior on Calvary,” he said. “This pope ... has been with Jesus on the cross since birth, with his country in shambles after World War I; losing his mother, sister, brother, and father, the only family he had; watching his beloved Poland invaded by the Swastika; friends, especially Jews, disappear; hit by a truck and left for dead; risking his life to study for the priesthood. ... This pope has stood near the cross — and would not move away from it for all the favorable editorials in the world.”

In selecting Paul as his name, the pope “shows that all this intense love of Jesus nurtured by discipleship, prayer, the Eucharist, our blessed mother, and the cross shows its effects, its fruit, in tireless preaching of the Gospel and love for others,” added Archbishop Dolan.

“Thus today, as the church wanted to center on him for his silver jubilee, he preferred to beatify our era’s greatest preacher, a contemporary Paul who traveled the globe with a simple message of love, humility, and service, now Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.”

In the hearts of many, Pope John Paul has claimed the title, “servant of the servants of God,” he added. “He is John Paul. We love him. We are loyal to him. We thank God for him. ... We shout, viva il papa.”

During the presentation of the gifts, Shree Vasan and his wife and Cynthia Hougum brought up a portrait of Mother Teresa and a bouquet of flowers. The portrait was placed on an easel at a side altar by Archbishop Dolan, where worshipers gathered after the Mass to light votive candles and pray.

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For more information on the Holy Father's 25th anniversary, visit this link on the archdiocesan web site.