Pope Francis' American visit covered a lot of ground from the time he flew into Andrews Air Force Base on September 22nd and departed from Philadelphia International on the 27th. He met with the President, Congress, The United Nations, and celebrated mass with hundreds of thousands of Americans in major cities in the North East. However, it was a less publicized event on the morning of his September 27th schedule that triggered boyhood memories for me.
On Sunday morning of the 27th, Pope Francis started his day by attending the World Meeting of Families being conducted at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood PA. The seminary is located just over of the Philadelphia city line near Route 30 (the old Lincoln Pike that meanders westward through the affluent “Philadelphia Main Line” toward York PA).
As a boy, along with neighborhood buddies who were predominantly Catholic, I spent many days walking the 18 holes of the old Overbrook golf course as a caddy. Occasionally, at the end of hot summer days we'd sneak into the indoor pool of St Charles Seminary to briefly skinny dip and cool off. The pool was walking distance from the golf course and just too tempting to ignore. On one particularly hot day it was just Pete Mann and me sneaking through an unlocked window of the pool building. We shed our clothes in record time and dove into the deep end of the pool. The cool water felt like heaven, or at least what I imagined heaven would feel like. Life was good!
Ten minutes into our intrusion a tall priest, a member of the St Charles faculty, suddenly appeared on the pool apron above us. My heart stopped! Instantly I pictured a handcuffed Lefty Schaeffer in the back of a paddy wagon being driven to my parents home where the very wrath of God would descend upon my head. Instead, the priest who looked seven foot tall from our perspective in the water below, calmly but firmly said, “Boys, you've got five minutes to dress and clear the area and be sure to close the window on the way out.” All we could mutter in a bewildered pathetic response was, “Yes Father.” The the tall figure disappeared through the door to the dressing room as suddenly as he had appeared. We had been given redemption West Philly style, 65 years ago.
The St Charles incident has been dormant in my thought locker for many years. It wasn't until I reviewed the agenda of Pope Francis' American visit that the pleasant memory returned. With the benefit of decades of life experience, the reaction of that St. Charles faculty member toward trespassing street waifs has become clear. Hope, patience, forgiveness, and tolerance. All those virtues woven into the very fabric of his church doctrine, represent the way he acted that day. The incident, so long ago in real time seems like just yesterday in my memories.
Although I'm not a Catholic, Pope Francis' visit was appreciated. It give us all a brief respite from the increasing trials and tribulations surrounding our great nation that is temporarily short suited on effective leadership.
His visit was not free of controversy. A private meeting with Kim Davis, the Kentucky county official who has refused to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, has resulted in a backlash from many in the large Gay Rights establishment. On the conservative side of the spectrum, the U.N. Address by Pope Francis has also ruffled the feathers of some folks who feel global warming is not entirely the fault of man.
The controversy of both these incidents can be placed in proper perspective by the philosophy of another great 20th century leader, Sir Winston Churchill: “ You have enemies, good! That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.”
Pope Francis, thank you for also restoring the memory of an important teaching lesson learned in the St Charles swimming pool.
Stratton Schaeffer is a retired consulting engineer and farmer who lives on Joe Hill.