Paterson Diocese reflects on the life of Pope Benedict

When Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI met a seminarian in Rome, he always remembered his name and what diocese he was studying for. So recalled some priests of the Diocese of Paterson who studied in Rome under the reign of the late pontiff, who died in his residence in Rome on Dec. 31 at 95.

The priests enjoyed Pope Benedict’s “friendly and kind” personal style when they interacted with them in the Holy City. They are now joined by the rest of the universal Church and the world in mourning the death of the beloved pontiff, who used his warm personality to make faith connections with Catholics both around the globe — and here in the Diocese of Paterson.

In the hours after the announce­ment of his death, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney led diocesan Catholics in adding to the tributes to Pope Benedict. He was praised for his brilliant intellect as a prominent theologian of the 20th Century and for leading the Church through a turbulent time in its history. He was also remembered as the first pope to resign from office in nearly 600 years — a historic decision that put the needs of the Church first, they said.

A few Catholics of the diocese, including Bishop Sweeney, also fondly recalled Pope Benedict’s warm personality and deep faith and insights during the times they were blessed to be in his presence. Some encountered him at events at World Youth Day or in Rome. Other faithful — clergy, religious, and laity — even got to meet him up close, including one diocesan priest who had worked at the Vatican. The normally reserved pope would show his faith and love with kind gestures — from a handshake or encouraging word to the tender embrace of an image of the Blessed Mother at his home.

“We entered the new year with the sad news of the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. The whole Church is praying in thanks­­giving for his life, ministry, and example and for the repose of his soul,” Bishop Sweeney said as he led a diocesan Memorial Mass for the late pope on Jan. 2 in the Cathe­dral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson.

The Mass was concelebrated by priests of Paterson and attended by local Catholics. The bishop, who spoke in English and Span­ish, said “Pope Benedict’s life of humble service was grounded in his confidence that in giving our lives to the Lord, we lose nothing and gain eternity. He showed us to be like the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph to say ‘yes’ not to my will but to God’s will and to bring that every day in prayer and discernment. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, rest in peace.”

From thousands of miles away in Rome, Pope Benedict none the less made an impact on Paterson Catholics — influencing their decisions about vocations or aspects of faith — through being in his presence or reading his theological writings such as his encyclicals. The late pontiff made a personal connection with the diocese in 2017 when he wrote now-Bishop Emeritus Arthur J. Serratelli a surprise note praising Paterson’s efforts to spread the Gospel, including its Evangeli­zation Center at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison. In the letter, he also highlighted the center’s Pope Benedict XVI Summer Institute, named in his honor, which ran for several years to promote and examine his theological teachings.

A funeral Mass for Pope Bene­dict will be held today, Jan. 5, at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican with Pope Francis presiding. The late pontiff will be buried in the Vatican crypt. The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope on April 19, 2005, as the 265th pope. At 78, he was the oldest person to be elected pope since 1730. His pontificate came to an end with his resignation on Feb. 28, 2013.

Reacting to Pope Benedict’s death, Bishop Sweeney issued a statement, calling him “renowned as a theologian, architect of Vatican II theology, pastor and ultimately Successor of Peter.

“Benedict XVI is one of the most consequential leaders of the Church in the late 20th Century and first two decades of the 21st Century. Benedict’s contribution will remain a living guide to holiness as his faith inspires and his great theological works are studied,” Bishop Sweeney said. “Bene­dict XVI lifted hearts toward love of God through his faith and his humble service.”

Happy Birthday, Benedict!

Bishop Sweeney also recalled that the first time he encountered Pope Benedict was in the midst of a large crowd at World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, in 2005, while a priest of the Brooklyn Diocese. Then, he saw the pontiff again in April 2008 during his visit to the United States. On that April 16, the bishop was invited by a priest friend to a ceremony on the lawn of the White House when he visited Pres. George W. Bush — on the pope’s birthday.

“The clearest memory of that day was the crowd singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the Holy Father,” said Bishop Sweeney, who, on April 20, participated in Pope Benedict’s Mass at the former Yankee Stadium, which concluded his U.S. visit.

He became the third pope, following St. Pope Paul VI and St. Pope John Paul II, to celebrate Mass there. The bishop last encountered the pope at World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia, in 2008. “I am very grateful for all these wonderful experiences — experiences of the Church as ‘the mystical Body of Christ’ united by and with St. Peter, the chief shepherd of the Lord’s flock on earth,” the bishop said.

The bishop said his most powerful personal memory of Pope Benedict was when he heard the announcement of his retirement in 2013. It caused him to reflect on the “example of his humble, prayerful and living faith from that moment up until today.”

Meanwhile, Bishop Emeritus Arthur Serratelli thinks “history will fondly remember Pope Benedict as one of the Church’s greatest popes.” He had seen the late pope several times during his leadership of the Paterson Diocese from 2004 to 2020.

The bishop emeritus saw Pope Benedict at World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, in 2005 and in Madrid, Spain, in 2011. Over the years, he interacted with the pope in Rome when presenting him with the periodic ad limina, or state of the diocese report, and while involved with the Baptist-Catholic Dialogue, the International Commission on English in the Liturgy, and Vox Clara. The bishop also got the thrill of shaking the pope’s hand at the Mass in Yankee Stadium in 2008. (See the accompanying photograph).

“Pope Benedict was a brilliant scholar who made the rich deposit of the faith accessible to the faithful and others with clarity and warmth. He preached the Gospel in an understandable and practical way. He was a man of deep faith and compassion and was pastoral to all. He steered the Church through a difficult moment,” said Bishop Serratelli, who met all the popes going back to St. Pope Paul VI. “Pope Benedict was warm and kind. You could talk to him. He was a humble man who put the good of the Church above all else.”

Bishop Serratelli fondly remembered the letter from Pope Benedict that he received in 2017, praising the diocese’s evangelization efforts.

“The pastoral initiatives in the Dio­cesan Catholic Center for Evangeliza­tion, inspired by the spirit of the Apostle Paul, are a cause of joy for me. I can only praise the Lord for the fruits that these initiatives bring to the hearts of many laypeople and clergy in your diocese. May God continue to shower his blessings upon your apostolic ministry,” Pope Benedict wrote in the note, which is displayed at St. Paul’s, along with a large painting of him.

Pope Benedict’s note was in response to an earlier letter from Bishop Serratelli, alerting him to the evangelizing work of the diocese, especially with St. Paul’s and the Benedict Institute.

“We are thrilled to have received a personal letter from him encouraging our diocese’s work of evangelization at St. Paul Inside the Walls. Our pope emeritus has set for us a sure path to bringing others into a closer relationship to the Lord Jesus, especially in the liturgy,” Bishop Serratelli said at the time.

Embracing Mary like a child

Pope Benedict also was known to have a strong love for the Blessed Virgin Mary, as witnessed by Msgr. Geno Sylva, St. John’s rector and diocesan vicar for special projects. He interacted with the late pope — and later Pope Francis — while serving as the first English-language official for the former Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization in Rome for six years.

In 2016, the statue of Our Lady of Fatima was flown from its home in Portugal for a Marian event during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. It was one of only a few times that the statue had traveled outside Portugal. Msgr. Sylva helped carry the statue from the Vatican Gardens, where it arrived by helicopter, to the residence of Pope Francis. En route, the statue stopped at Pope Benedict’s residence — by order of Pope Francis.

“Like a little child, Pope Benedict embraced the statue so gently, tenderly, and reverently. His great devotion to the Blessed Mother radiated throughout his small chapel,” Msgr. Sylva said. He called the pope “truly humble and kind” and said, “The Church will be breaking open the breathtaking brilliance of his words and theology for decades to come.”

On Feb. 11, 2013, the 85-year-old Pope Benedict shocked the world with a Latin-language announcement of his retirement. He cited his advanced age and his lack of strength as unsuitable for the exercise of his office.

Pope Benedict’s resignation stunned Father Stephen Prisk, pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in Pequannock and diocesan vice chancellor. At that time, he was a seminarian at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he studied from 2011 to 2016. On that day, an older seminarian passed him on his way back from an exam and told him the earth-shattering news.

“I was surprised. I wondered what it meant for the Church and for me,” said Father Prisk, who attended Pope Benedict’s last Wednesday audience in St. Peter’s Square. He reminded the faithful that Jesus will always be with us — even in moments of trial for the Church and in our personal lives. “That made an impression on me. Even though I didn’t understand it at the time, I have so much filial respect for him as the Successor of Peter.”

Father Prisk was in the presence of Pope Benedict for the first time at World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, in 2005 as a high-school sophomore.

“We can think of the pope as a figure of the Church on the other side of the world. At World Youth Day, I saw the human side of the Holy Father — his fatherly love and devotion. It influenced my vocation to the priesthood,” Father Prisk said.

‘Like they saw a rock star!’

During World Youth Day events, Pope Benedict easily bonded with the youth in his own way. In Germany in 2005, “The youth lined the sides of the Rhine River as Benedict rode up on a ferry boat to begin World Youth Day. Some of our group was actually wading in the water. Their excitement exploded as he passed them. It was like they saw a rock star,” said Lori DiGaetano, youth ministry coordinator of St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Passaic. She also attended World Youth Day with the pope in Spain in 2011.

DiGaetano and the group from St. Anthony’s also were blessed to witness the pope’s ability to captivate a much smaller audience of about 4,000 people. They heard him speak at St. Joseph’s Seminary & College in Yonkers, N.Y., in 2008 — part of his U.S. visit.

“Pope Benedict was about 200 yards from us. He spoke gently and lovingly, mostly in English. He told the teens that God isn’t far away; look in your hearts. He connected with the teens. They treated him like a grandfather. They respected and listened to him,” said DiGaetano. In all the challenges that faced the Church during his pontificate, Pope Benedict “tried to gather the people in,” she said.

Above all, Pope Benedict “focused everyone on Jesus” when he celebrated Mass, said Father Philip-Michael Tangorra, pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish in Branchville. The priest, who also serves as Defender of the Bond in the diocesan Tribunal, studied in Rome as a seminarian at Pontifical Gregorian University and the Angelicum: Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas from 2005 to 2011.

“When Pope Benedict entered for Mass, people applauded. He quieted them. For him, the Mass was always about Jesus and not about him,” said Father Tangorra, who saw the pope at papal events two or three times weekly and served Masses for him. Later, he concelebrated Masses with the pope in his first two years as a priest of Paterson while studying in Rome.

Father Tangorra recalled that the pontiff was always “warm, friendly, and kind” each time he met him. This was far from the mis-characterization of him as stern and unapproachable as often portrayed in the media, he said.

“After Pope Benedict met you, he remembered your name, that you are a seminarian and which diocese you are studying for. He encouraged you. He would gesture to you in a way that he connected with you,” Father Tangorra said. “He has made a lasting influence on my priesthood.”

Letter of inspiration

In the hours after the announcement of Pope Benedict’s death, several parishes, clergy, and lay people took to social media to express their grief and their admiration for his leadership, inspiration, intellect, and example of faith.

Derek Nelson, music director at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Rockaway, wrote on Facebook that the late pontiff’s encyclical “Charity in Truth” (“Caritas in Veritate”) inspired him, through the Holy Spirit’s guidance, to explore the option of homeschooling for his children.

“One aspect of [the letter] was that all people should treat each other as we would treat our most beloved family members. This means in every business, government entity, corporation, etc...,” Nelson said. “We need to see each other as family. ‘What’s the best place to teach people to love others as family? An actual family.’”

Also moved by the sad news, Father Cesar Jaramillo, a parochial vicar at St. John’s cathedral, posted on Facebook, “The world lost a great human being, but the Church just lost a giant.” The priest, who also serves as Defender of the Bond in the diocesan Tribunal, called the late pope “the greatest theologian of the last 200 years and a pastor whose humility will, unfortunately, go unnoticed by many.

“Thank you, Benedict XVI, for so much. I hope I manage to see the day when you are raised to the altars of the Church for which you gave your life and be able to count you among its eminent Doctors. Rest in Peace,” Father Jaramillo wrote.