Passing of Pope John Paul II has local impact; Fr. Jerry Blake recalls meeting

With the continuous coverage of the massive crowd of mourners in Rome this past week serving as evidence of the worldwide impact of the death of Pope John Paul II, the effects were also felt on a more local level here by not only those who live here and know the Holy Father from afar, but also a native son who was fortunate enough to have held a brief audience with the Pope as he studied to follow in his footsteps.

Waukon native Fr. Jerry Blake, a 1973 graduate of Waukon Senior High School and the son of Mary and the late John Blake of rural Waukon, had the opportunity to meet Pope John Paul II as a seminary student in late 1998 (photo at left taken during that visit). Blake says he was in his second to the last year of studies with St. Paul Seminary when his class took a study trip through parts of the Holy Land, eventually ending up in Rome toward the tail end of the journey.

“It was the fall semester, and we were living in the old part of Jerusalem in Israel,” Blake recounted. “We had made a four-day trip to Egypt, and we had the opportunity to stop in Rome on our way back. Our class was invited to meet with the Holy Father and even attend a mass in his private chapel.”

Although the students’ meeting with Pope John Paul II was brief, Father Blake recalls the impact that short meeting had on him and his chosen calling. “I was very touched to be able to meet with the Holy Father, to be able to shake his hand and to speak with him,” he said. “It has always impressed me how someone who has to be aware of so many responsibilities, who meets with so many heads of state and other powerful leaders throughout the world, always took the time to also meet with and pay attention to those who did not hold those same places of power. He saw everyone on this earth as having the same significance. He reminded me very much of the Good Shepherd, who left the other 99 sheep of his flock to find the one lost lamb and bring him back.”

When asked if the pontiff had made any mention of his trip to Iowa in 1979 when he held his 1998 audience with the Iowa-native seminary students, Blake responded that there was no mention made of that trip. However, the Pope did make mention of then Archbishop Daniel Kucera, who was leading the Archdiocese of Dubuque at that time.

Some of Blake’s family had also made a trip to Rome during that same timeframe, meeting up with him during his stay there and touring the historical city. Blake’s mother, one of his brothers, and an aunt all made the trip, having their own remembrance of Pope John Paul II, as they all attended a Christmas Midnight Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica during their stay. “It was something I will never forget, an experience you could never replace,” recalled Mary Blake.

Father Blake also recalled another experience he had with Pope John Paul II following his ordination in 2000 and his first pastoral assignment in Dyersville. Father Blake was part of a group that took some of his parish youth to World Youth Day held in Toronto, Canada in 2002, where they heard the Holy Father speak. “He was always very focused on the youth, and he challenged them as the future of our church,” Blake remarked.

Shortly after that experience, Blake was then reassigned to St. James Catholic Church in Forest City, where he continues to serve as Associate Pastor of Catholic Communities in Winnebago County.

Blake says the passing of Pope John Paul II has, indeed, had an immediate impact on the world. He also hopes, however, that that impact continues to be felt and carried out in a positive manner in honor of the renowned leader. “Pope John Paul II always saw things through God’s eyes and God’s love, and that’s something that we are all called to do,” he said. “I hope that those who are now paying their respects to him at the time of this death will also continue to pay respect to his words and actions, and seek to live as he did.”

Within Waukon, the parish of St. Patrick Catholic Church offered a prayer service and student mass in honor of Pope John Paul II last week. Wednesday, April 6 the school staff and students dedicated a prayer service to his memory. The weekly student mass, held Friday, April 8, was also presented in memory of the fallen leader.

During his homily the day following Pope John Paul II’s passing, St. Patrick Parish Pastor Fr. Joseph Schneider remarked how the Holy Father “epitomized how we should live our lives... standing firmly for what we believe in, no matter what may stand in our way.”