On this Day in History I REALLY Became Catholic

Source: Pixabay.com – Tanna66

Most people know that I’m Catholic.  So much so, it shocks some when they discover that I teach AP Biology.

Science only confirms most of what I believe, but that’s a discussion for another time — so, stay tuned.

Growing up Catholic, I never knew anything else.

It’s not that my parents sheltered me.  I just never gave it much thought — even though one of my best elementary school friends, David Goldstein, was obviously not a practicing Christian.

In fact, when David died, my 6th grade teacher, Mr. Green, suggested that the money I was collecting for flowers would be properly spent by planting a tree in Israel in David’s memory.  (Mr. Green was also not Christian.)

So, I was aware of different faiths … just not other denominations.

Funny as this appears to me today, I naively assumed, at a very young age, that if someone was Protestant, it was because one parent was Catholic and the other parent was Jewish.

With that, I though Protestants had the best of both worlds because they got to celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah.   Funny, right?

As I grew as a Catholic, I started to become more aware of the world around me.  Soon, I became disillusioned with Rome.

Oddly enough, my disillusion had little to do with theology.

I was a middle-schooler and not yet as aware of the wealth Church teachings as I am today.  Sadly, I was just tired of the Pope.

I wasn’t tired of the role of the Pope or the Primacy of the See of Peter.  I liked the Pope.  So much so, I took the name Paul as my Confirmation name in honor of the present Pope at that time, St. Pope Paul VI.

I was just tired of the Pope always being Italian.

I know! I know!  That sounds extremely shallow — and somewhat ethically bias.  I assure you that I was not and it wasn’t.

My neighbors: the Cornelias, D’Angelos, Rizzo, Stavolas, were all like family to me — and still are to this day.  In fact, I often refer to myself as a Closet Italian.   Let’s be honest, is there any other cuisine on Earth better than Italian food?

However, when Pope Paul died in the summer of 1978,  I hoped– no, I prayed — that the next Pope would be a nationality other than Italian.

My thought, at the time, was that if the Church was truly universal, why wasn’t there a Holy Father in the last five-hundred years that was something other than Roman?

You’re probably thinking why wouldn’t the Pope be Roman, it is the Roman Catholic Church?  Well, the truth of the matter is that it’s not.

It’s the Holy Catholic Church; or simply The Church!

The placement of the word Roman in the Church’s title never truly existed until the Middle Ages.  However, it became, en vogue,  derogatorily, during the 16th century, especially in Anglican speaking communities, such as the U.K. and the United States. [1]

Much like the evolution of Yankee Doodle, which started out as a pre-Revolutionary song of mockery, the term Roman Catholic has, in turn, been embraced positively by most Catholics who worship using the Latin (or Western) Rite of the Church.

There are 24 liturgical Catholic Rites under the supreme authority of the See of Peter.  So the Pope is not the head of the Roman Catholic Church; he has authority over the entire Church; ergo my middle school discomfort with a Roman monopoly the papacy.

Irregardless, as they say in Brooklyn,  I remember praying to God to give me a sign to stay Catholic.   Soon, my prayers turned into something more of a challenge.

I began challenging God.

For the first time, I paid close attention to the Papal Conclave.

I remember watching, waiting for the smoke to rise from the historic stack thousand.

Black smoke meant there was no consensus and the secret conclave would continue.  White smoke meant a choice was made.

I remember the newscasters informing the viewing audience that historically the Cardinals burnt hay along with their ballots.  Wet hay would cause the smoke to turn black..  However, during the 1978 conclave, chemicals would be used for the first time and the first time in history the artificially colored smoke appeared — and it was gray! [2]

Confusion followed, then came an announcement: There’s a new Pope!

Soon, I would discover that my personal prayers were not answered.  A man named Albino Luciani, an Italian Cardinal,  was the next in line to Peter.

I have to admit, I openly welcomed the election of Pope John Paul (now Pope John Paul I).  He appeared warm and likable, quickly gaining the nickname, “The Smiling Pope.”  

Even his name, John Paul, was different, truly pontifical, in a bridge building sense.

However, his election, for all the wrong reasons, caused me, a Long Island boy, with Irish and Polish heritage, to question my Catholic Christian Faith.

Again, I began praying to God to give me a sign.

My prayers, however, went from being a challenge and soon became an ultimatum.  (Remember, I was just a kid.)

But then it happened…

Thirty-three days after the election of Pope John Paul, my brother came home and announced, “Did you hear? The Pope died.”

I recall rolling my eyes thinking that he was about a month behind the times.

“No, I’m serious,” he added.

However, I was not convinced since he was had an affinity to telling tall-tales.  Even my mother wasn’t taking the bait.

He was so insistent, we put on a 24-hour News station — which was radio in those days — 1010 Wins out of New York City.

Their slogan: You give us 22 minutes; We’ll give you the world. 

Soon, much to our surprise, we learned that The Smiling Pope, was dead.

It seemed like the World watched as Cardinals from the four corners of the globe gathered again at the Vatican and under the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel.

Amazing, two papal conclaves in one year!

Two days later, there was an announcement on ABC-News: There’s a new Pope!

The world again watched as the Vatican made the announcement of Habemus Papam!  for the second time in 1978.

“As far as we can understand,” the late Peter Jennings announced. “Cardinal Felici just announced the name of a Polish cardinal.”

I don’t remember much after that beyond disbelief.

I’m not saying that God killed the Smiling Pope to keep me among the Collect.

The Almighty definitely knew the election of a fellow Pole to the See of Peter wouldn’t make me a very good Catholic — at least not for a very long time!

So then, was it Divine?  Probably not.

However,  the election of Karol Wojtyła to the Pontificate proved to me  that the Church, headquartered in Rome, was truly catholic — and on that day I really became Catholic.

The election of John Paul II, I believe, also sent a clearer message.  To paraphrase John Paul II on the day of his election his message, this message was:

“Even though you may feel far away, you are always near to Me if you stay in the communion of faith and the Christian tradition.”

In time, I would see John Paul II in person when he came to the United States.  Over time, he became a father-figure to me, as he did to many.

I remember crying on the day he died in 2005 and I often miss him presence in the world, as I miss both my dad, Robert, and my step-dad, John.  However, like my father and step-father, I know he belongs to the Communion of the Saints.

I still struggle to be a good Catholic, as do most of us; but I am still Catholic in faith, deed, and practice —  and will remain into the hour of my death.

Today, John Paul II remains alive, as do all the Saints.  Every night before my boys lay down to sleep, we recite this simple prayer:

Saint John Paul, pray for us!

Source: Pixabay.com – ddouk

James Henry is the author of Corporation YOU: A Business Plan for the Soul, Hail Mary series, and two children’s books: The Second Prince and Klaus: The Gift-giver to ALL!  As a writer, James has been widely featured on Bob Salter (CBS Radio), Mike Siegel, Mancow, and more.

Beyond writing, James worked with At-Risk youth in Southern California for over six years.  His contributions to the classroom where featured on local television and in the LA Daily News and Burbank Leader, and earned him the honors of “Teacher of the Year”.  James was also twice honored by a CASDA Scholar, as the teacher who most influenced their academic career.  He has also appeared twice, as an educator, on “America Live with Megyn Kelly”. Today, James lives in New York where he continues to teach — and write.

To contact James or book an interview, please contact Mark of Goldman/McCormick PR at (516) 639-0988 or Mark@goldmanmccormick.com.