A mass was celebrated in Dublin yesterday evening to remember and celebrate the life of Pope John Paul II on the first anniversary of his death.
Marking the occasion with mass in the Pro-Cathedral, the Archbishop of Dublin, Most Rev Diarmuid Martin recalled that that even in his deepest suffering, the late church leader still desired to carry out the mission that he had received from the Lord.
He told how on the day of his death he was amazed when 2,000 'ordinary believers' filled the Pro-Cathedral to pray for the man who had in some way touched their lives. "Pope John Paul was truly one of the great people of our times," said Archbishop Martin.
"Each of us has his or her personal memories of Pope John Paul II. I was in Saint Peter's Square on the day on which he was elected and when he appeared for the first time as Pope on the Balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica. I was in Saint Peter's Square on the morning last year when his body was carried for the final time back into Saint Peter's Basilica for burial.
"I remember that it was Pope John Paul who appointed me Bishop and who himself ordained me Bishop in Saint Peter's Basilica in 1999. It was Pope John Paul II who then asked me some years later to return here to Dublin as Archbishop. "I have many memories of his personal warmth and kindness.
He was someone who always recognised and thanked you for any service you did for him. "He bore an extraordinary dedication to his own mission, even as his health began to wane."
The mass was followed with Totus Tuus, a reflective celebration in music and word led by the Palestrina choir and attended by members of the Polish community.