REAL LIVING PERSON
The following report was written by Linda Brenegan of Baltimore
for the Gospel Mission newsletter:
On the evening of the last day of his October, l995 visit to the
United States, Pope John Paul II was scheduled to greet the
seminarians
at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore.
It had been a very full day beginning with Mass at Oriole Park, at
Camden Yards; followed by a parade through downtown streets; a
visit to the Basilica of the Assumption, the first Cathedral in
the country; lunch at a local soup kitchen run by Catholic Charities;
a prayer service at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in north
Baltimore; and finally, a quick stop at St. Mary's Seminary.
The schedule was tight so the plan was to simply greet the
seminarians while they stood outside on the steps.
But, Pope John Paul made his way through their ranks and into the
building.
HIS plan was to first make a visit to The Blessed Sacrament.
When his wishes were made known, security personnel quickly
flew into action ahead of the Pope.
Their activities included a sweep of the building, paying closest
attention to the Chapel where John Paul would be praying.
For this purpose, highly trained dogs were used to detect any persons
who might be present.
The dogs are trained to locate living people in collapsed buildings
after earthquakes and other disasters. These intelligent and
eager canines went through their rounds in the halls, offices
and classrooms quickly, and were then sent into the Chapel.
They went up and down the aisles, past the pews, and finally
into the side Chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved.
Upon reaching the Tabernacle, the dogs sniffed and whined and
POINTED, refusing to leave!
They were convinced they had discovered SOMEONE there, and firmly
remained, their attention riveted on the Tabernacle, until
called out by their handlers.
They found a REAL LIVING PERSON in the Tabernacle.
