Missourians mourn loss of 'saint'

ST. LOUIS -- Mike Jendusa sat quietly in his wheelchair, gently sobbing as he stared at the statue of Pope John Paul II near the St. Louis Cathedral where the pontiff conducted Mass six years ago.

"I believe he's a saint," said Jendusa, 38, wheelchair-bound since birth with spina bifida.

In St. Louis, mourners began gathering at the massive and historic cathedral within minutes of the pope's death.

Gov. Matt Blunt, a Southern Baptist, ordered flags over state facilities to fly at half-staff for nine days.

"It was faith that made Pope John Paul II extraordinary, and it is that same faith that will now strengthen Catholic families and other Missourians who mourn this great loss," Blunt said. "Pope John Paul II was a tireless advocate for human freedom, and I like many Missourians admire his role in the collapse of tyranny in Eastern Europe."

U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, said, "As a Catholic, I am thankful for his leadership of the church that I love. I will always remember his devotion to God and his unwavering faith, even in the midst of great suffering."

Richard Bach of St. Stanislaus Kostka, a Polish parish near downtown St. Louis, noted that the pope made two trips to St. Louis -- the first in 1969, about a decade before he became pope, when he was Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. He blessed the parish during that visit.

"The warmth, love, and compelling personality of the then-future Pontiff created a great impression on all those present," Bach said.

St. Stanislaus planned a memorial prayer service Sunday morning to honor the pope's life. The parish has continued to hold services even though Burke removed both priests last year in a dispute over control of the parish.

Several St. Louisans recalled seeing the pope during his three-day visit here. Though already feeble from Parkinson's disease, the pontiff showed a sense of humor and charisma that seemed to be especially captivating to young people.

Burke was not in St. Louis at the time, but he later spoke with the pope and said the pontiff had fond memories of the visit. The pope, Burke said, was especially pleased by his reception at a downtown youth rally.

Jendusa, a Catholic youth worker, sat on the front row of that rally.

"His legacy for me is the way he reached out to the youth of the world," Jendusa said. "His love for them. You could see the love."

David and Sharon Dempsey stood outside the St. Louis Cathedral, observing the bittersweet scene of parents taking pictures with the young confirmands, some smiling with tears running down their cheeks on a day of wildly differing emotions.

"He was a great man -- a man for all the ages," said David Dempsey, 74. "He's had a profound effect not only on the Catholic Church but upon the entire world.

"But he was suffering and we are happy for him that he closed his eyes. I'm sure he reopened them in heaven on the next blink."