Local clergy recall visits with Pope Francis
Apr. 22—MASSENA — A local pastor had a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican several times during his papacy.
The Rev. Donald C. Curry was the lead pastor at New Testament Church in Massena from 1994 until 2016 when he and his wife, Mary, began planting a new church in Plattsburgh. He was also involved in the "John 17 Movement," which took him to Rome six times, including four times with his wife, to meet with the pope, who died Monday at the age of 88.
John 17 refers to the chapter of the Gospel when Jesus Christ prayed for his believers to unite and display a love for all of his followers. The John 17 Movement was started by Joseph Tosini, who serves as the organization's director.
Curry said it was "devastating" to wake up Monday and learn that the pope had died. He had met with Pope Francis in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and his last visit was in November 2023.
"Devastating, because each time we went he gave us between two and three hours just to converse about his goal," he said. "The last four times, we stayed in his home. It was really such a privilege."
The pope's goal, he said, was the same as the goal of the John 17 Movement — uniting churches. The organization's vision notes, "The John 17 Movement is a contagious call to all professing Christians to relate together properly, beckoning us to embrace the final prayer of Jesus."
"What drove him was relational reconciliation in the church of the three main divisions. He spent the last four years of his papacy focusing on how can we bring people together within the Roman Catholic church and, of course, other branches of the church. That's what we spent our time discussing and working on," Curry said.
All totalled, he said they spent between 12 and 15 hours with Pope Francis.
"We got to know him. He would dismiss all the security and we'd be in a room alone with him and we just talked. He was funny, witty, extremely humble, deeply compassionate, and probably the wisest person I've ever sat with. He so reflected, in my opinion, the heart of Jesus for the world."
Curry said he asked the Rev. Mark R. Reilly, pastor of St. Peter's Parish in Massena, to join them.
"We had an amazing time together in front of Francis. In fact, when the meeting started, Joe Tosini, who is the director of John 17, said, 'Why don't you and Mark share your story with Francis.' So, together we shared what's been happening in Massena and Mark shared a very personal, very humbling story in front of Francis, and he had all of us crying. It was such a special moment for Mark and I could be there together with Francis," he said.
Reilly joined other members of John 17 in meeting the pope in what he said was an intimate setting, and he said it was a meeting to remember.
"It was surreal. I remember thinking to myself, 'This isn't really happening,'" he said. "It wasn't a huge audience. There was maybe 40 of us. I remember he needed a wheelchair back then. I think his knee was giving him a lot of trouble just a couple of years ago now, but he still got out of wheelchair and made his way around. There was a circle of about the 40 of us, and he just looked each one in the eye and shook everyone's hand and made his way around. It was quite something."
He said there were back and forth conversations, laughter, "and some deep, deep reflections in response to questions" during the two hours he spent with Pope Francis.
Now, it's time for mourning, Reilly said.
"It's 20 years ago this month that John Paul II died. It's been 20 years since we've had the death of a pope while he was in office," he said.
Terry R. LaValley, bishop of the Diocese of Ogdensburg, also met with Pope Francis.
"He was a much-loved pope. He occupied the chair of Peter with great humility and tremendous love for those in society who are hurting and marginalized," LaValley said in a statement.
He said the state of families was a topic of concern for the pope.
"During our ad limina visit, we, the bishops from around New York, gathered in a circle, and we each had an opportunity to ask the Holy Father a question. I asked him what kept him up at night. His response was very telling. He said it was the state of the family today. He talked about issues in his own family and questions related to marriage. He talked about building up families in support of children. I was very touched by his sharing of such personal stories related to the condition of his own family and how that troubled him, as well as how the general state of the family today troubled him. It's an encounter I'll never forget," LaValley said.
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