Priest Remembers Pope John Paul II Before Sainthood
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Photo by Giuseppe Cacace/Getty Images(VATICAN CITY) — As Pope John Paul II was canonized on Sunday, one priest remembered what it was like to be ordained by the now sainted Pope.
Father David Kosmoski said he will “never forget” being ordained by John Paul in June 1983.
“He came to me very serious and placed his hands upon my head and he actually pressed down upon my head as if he was trying to push the Holy Spirit further into my heart and it was a very beautiful moment,” said Kosmoski.
Kosmoski also said that he was startled by the then pope’s physical devotion to prayer even before performing a service.
“He was lying prostrate on the ground praying before the mass and that was probably a good hour that he was in prayer,” said Kosmoski. “Scripture tells us, we pray to the Holy Spirit with deep groaning and that is what I heard. I heard him praying like that for the world.”
John Paul was the second-longest serving pope and his canonization is the fastest in modern times. He was put on the fast-track for possible sainthood by Benedict just weeks after he died in 2005. During his funeral Mass there were chants of “Santo Subito!” or “Sainthood Now!”
During the canonization ceremony bells tolled across John Paul’s homeland of Poland in his honor.
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