"Where Where You When..." Moments

There have only been a few of these time-stopping television moments (sorry, Groucho) that have stuck with me in my own life. I wasn't around for JFK, of course. But where was I when Princess Diana's car crashed? At home, celebrating my birthday. Where was I when the news of the 9.11 attacks broke? Watching the reports on a classroom television at SLUH. Where was I when Pope John Paul II died? I was in Galway, at the home of a English family that moved to Ireland 16 years ago and joined the Church of Ireland. After dinner, we were sitting around and the news of the pope's death came up on the TV. Keeping in mind the 800-year history between England and Ireland that frequently included the repression of Irish Catholicism, I decided to ask Caroline's father what he thought of the man. His reply was brief but assertive. "He was a great man," Mr. Sture said, "and will be quite hard to replace." I only pass that story on to provide one small example of how certain people are able to transcend history and beliefs; certain people who speak to the hearts of people everywhere. Love or hate what he stood for, Karol Wojtyla was one of those people. A man that will be missed.