Pope John Paul II honored with Mass
BY CHRIS MURINO Staff Writer

SCOTT FRIEDMAN Parishioners of St. Augustine of Canterbury Roman Catholic Church in Kendall Park pray during a Mass held in remembrance of the three-year anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II on April 2. Pope John

SOUTH BRUNSWICK - St. Augustine of Canterbury Roman Catholic Church held a Mass honoring Pope John Paul II on April 2, honoring the third anniversary of his death.

One township woman who attended the Mass, Carol Jansen, is his distant relative and said she was more than happy with the service.

"We touched his skullcap," she said. "We kind of lingered in the church. I just felt his presence there."

She said that the Rev. Robert Lynam of St. Augustine was very close to the late pope.

"He was always going to Rome to visit the pope many, many times," she said.

Jansen's mother's aunt's husband was an uncle to the pope. She even has a picture of the pope, as a young infant, being held by his parents.

"[The pope's uncle's] daughter found the picture and the original had his name on the back," Jansen said.

PHOTOS BY SCOTT FRIEDMAN Above: Artifacts belonging to the late Pope John Paul II were displayed at St. Augustine of Canterbury. Below: Carol Jansen helps her 18-month-old granddaughter, Camryn Mammone, touch a skullcap given to the Rev. Robert Lynam by the late Pope John Paul II.

Jansen has never been to Rome nor has she met the pope personally, but she went to Philadelphia when he visited.

"When the pope came out, the sun came out and a rainbow appeared," she said. "We were there for hours and hours and hours, just standing with our kids. It was a good feeling. Everybody was very friendly and there was a very warm feeling."

She said she grew up in a very religious family.

"My grandma had 14 children," she said. "The whole family was pretty much religious. We brought up our children the same way. Three of our children attended St. Augustine's."

"We're not holy rollers," she added, laughing. "We go to church, we pray."

She even spoke Polish as a child, but when her grandmother died, she lost track of much of the family and stopped speaking Polish.

Jansen said she loved the late pope, because he was so people-friendly.

"Knowing that we were related makes it extra special. My uncle was a priest as well. He looks so much like the pope," she said. "[The pope was] a down-to-earth human kind of person that you can just relate to. There was a warmth about him. He loved the children, loved them coming to him."

As for the Mass on Wednesday, it was "very moving," according to Jansen. The cantor sang a Polish song that she recognized called "Serdeczna Matko," or "Blessed Mother."

"I knew the words because we belonged to the choir," she said. "It brought tears to my eyes. I hadn't heard it in so long and it's just a very moving song."