Special Moment With a Saint

Fact of Life about St. John Paul II

"I remember it like yesterday," Pat Clark said with great joy during a phone chat from his home in Columbia, S.C.

He was referring to Sept. 12, 1987, the day Pope John Paul II came to St. Peter’s Church in Columbia, and Clark saw the future saint bless his two children, Jennie and Christopher.

"With the Pope canonized as a saint, I still have to pinch myself that my two children were personally blessed by John Paul II," Clark told Register staff writer Joseph Pronechen.

Pope John Paul II stopped to bless Clark’s children as he walked up the aisle.

And he gave each one a rosary.

It was quite a birthday present for Jennie, who turned 10 that day. Her brother was 12.

Even though that blessing took place 27 years ago, the memories remain fresh, especially now that the beloved Holy Father is St. John Paul II.

"John Paul had such a peaceful aura about him. There was something about him, like a radiation of peace. I’ll never forget," Clark said.

Clark shared the thoughts of his children upon the canonization of John Paul II.

"My son says, ‘I can’t believe I was blessed by a saint. … I never realized until I became an adult how meaningful that was.’ And Jennie says, ‘For one moment in time, I was physically touched and blessed by who I consider the greatest pope in the Catholic Church; and, now, for him to be a saint makes that blessing more powerful.’"

"John Paul had such a peaceful aura about him. There was something about him, like a radiation of peace. I’ll never forget," Clark said.

Clark shared the thoughts of his children upon the canonization of John Paul II.

"My son says, ‘I can’t believe I was blessed by a saint. … I never realized until I became an adult how meaningful that was.’ And Jennie says, ‘For one moment in time, I was physically touched and blessed by who I consider the greatest pope in the Catholic Church; and, now, for him to be a saint makes that blessing more powerful.’"