Following the death of Pope John Paul II on Saturday, members of Brandeis' Catholic community convened for three consecutive Masses devoted in part to remembering the life and works of the only pontiff most students have ever known.Over 40 students filled the Bethlehem Chapel Sunday night for the second Mass. Father David Michael, Brandeis' Catholic chaplain, opened the service by acknowledging the Pope and expressing his "sense of loss" from the events of the past week.

Michael also expressed his excitement at the prospect of electing a new pope, which he described as an extraordinary process that most people only witness a few times in their lives.

"I have sensed in the past few days...something profound is happening," he said.

The Mass held at 5:30 on Monday afternoon was devoted specifically to the memory of the pope. In the rear of the chapel was a table with three books written by John Paul, flowers and several pictures of the pope in Vatican City.

"We have lost an intellectual and spiritual giant," Father Michael said during his sermon. "We have lost a titan."

Father Michael said that the pope did not merely offer simple reasoning on issues, but that he offered, "rigorous, systematic, sustained analysis and insight."

Catholic students conveyed a mix of sorrow and hope over the passing of the Catholic leader.

"It's really sad," Jonathan Sham '05, a member of the Catholic Student Organization's executive board, said. " This is really the only pope that I've ever known and it definitely hit me harder than I expected."

While Sham said he thought it was too early to gauge the campus response to the event, he said he was "really anxious to see how the campus reacts."

"I know some friends of mine have offered their personal condolences, which I respect and am thankful for," he said.

Michael Bohen '08 was hopeful about the future of Church leadership, seeing the transition as an opportunity for change.

"It's tragic, but I also feel it is a tremendous opportunity to further construct bridges to the people that Pope John Paul has made an attempt to reach out to already," he said.

During the memorial service, Father Michael said that he always felt a special bond to John Paul for two reasons. He said that not only did he and the pope share a birthday on May 18, but also that his tenure as a priest coincided with John Paul's term as supreme pontiff.

Father Michael said that meeting John Paul in his private chapel in the Vatican was among the most moving experiences of his life. Father Michael said that while he wanted to tell the pope about their shared birthday, he was too overwhelmed to do so when he and John Paul shook hands.

He also said he had great respect for the pope, who he said was, "one of the great Catholic thinkers of our time, and maybe of all Christianity."

Father Michael pointed parishioners to the extraordinary nature of the anointing of a new pope.

"I guarantee you, in a secret moment, there will be a tear in your eye" when the next pontiff is announced, he said.

Sham also expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of witnessing the declaration from the Vatican of a new Roman Catholic leader after the conclave, a meeting where the College of Cardinals elects the new pope.

"I'm really excited to see the conclave and to experience the conclave and to hear those words, 'We have a pope,'" he said.



-Joshua Adland

contributed to this report.