Services in the basilica at St. Peter’s will begin at 10 a.m. local time in Italy, which is 4 a.m. here.
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Pinehurst will celebrate a “Vigil For A Deceased Pope” on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. The service will consist of prayers and Bible readings. It will last a half hour and is open to the public, according to parish secretary Kathy Sikora.
Services in Robbins at St. Juan Diego Catholic Church were still being planned. Messages for the priest, the Rev. Bill John Acosta-Escobar, can be left at 948-4100.
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Southern Pines will offer two special Masses.
The Dean of the Fayetteville Deanery, the Very Rev. Jeffrey A. Ingham, VF, will celebrate “Masses for our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II,” at 5 p.m. on Thursday and at noon Friday, the church office announced. “All are welcome.”
Expressions of grief and remembrance abound from Moore County people.
“Elizabeth and I join millions of Americans in expressing deep sympathy at the passing of Pope John Paul II,” said former Sen. John Edwards in a statement. “This pope was a beacon of light and hope for the underprivileged and the oppressed, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. His commitment to social justice lives as an inspiration for everyone. His historic fight for religious freedom in Poland is a demonstration of personal courage that should serve as an example for leaders everywhere.”
Susan and Michael LaGraff, who live in Pinehurst and attend Sacred Heart, have vivid memories of their audience with John Paul II in September 2003. “He spoke clearly in several languages,” Susan LaGraff said. “He had a very strong voice that day. The feeling, even with 8,000 people, that you could sense from everyone else was amazing.”
The LaGraffs had gone to Italy on a vacation with several friends from Pinehurst, and made arrangements ahead of time to attend an audience at the Vatican.
“There was a group of men sitting in front of us, all dressed the same,” she said. “Before the Pope came out, they stood and sang some beautiful hymns. Once the Pope came out, they were recognized, and stood right up again to sing. There was not one of them without tears on his face. There were about 25 of them from a little town, Martino, in Italy.”
Afterward, men from the Italian choir made a point of speaking to their American visitors.
“They wanted us to know they had sung in New York City in the basement of the World Trade Center just a few weeks before 9/11,” she said.
It was an experience that transcended barriers, according to LaGraff.
“In our group of friends, we were not all Catholic,” she said. “We had a Protestant friend, and a Jewish friend, and they found the Pope to be just a wonderful spiritual leader for all people. It really was a most wonderful thing.”
They would be heading home to Pinehurst the next day.
“We had been in Italy about 10 days, and it was the last full day of our trip,” she said. “Even then — partly because of his illnesses and his age but more because of the kind of person he was, and seeing the adoration on every face there — it was a special time for us. We all savored it. We did not think it could become more special. Now, of course, I suppose it has.”
