St. Louis, Mo., Apr 5, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Shortly following Pope John Paul II visit to St. Louis in 1999, then Archbishop Justin Rigali said that, “It is not too soon to say that the Pastoral Visit of Pope John Paul II to the Archdiocese of St. Louis has been a spiritual event of lasting significance for more people than can ever be counted.”
That lasting impact can still be felt today as St. Louis joins with the rest of the world in mourning a man who is already being hailed as ‘John Paul the Great.’
Archbishop Rigali had said that so many of those he had spoken to in St. Louis and beyond spoke “of a deepened faith in our Lord Jesus Christ on account of the Pope's visit.”
“So many”, he said, “have spoken of a renewed pride in being members of the Catholic Church! And so many have spoken of a heightened sense of solidarity with their brothers and sisters in Christ, as well as with all people of good will who have experienced the blessings which have been the fruit of the Pope's time in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.”