University Daily Kansan
Fridav. October 5.1979
5
More than 200,000 people gathered at Living History Farms just west of Des Moines yesterday to show warm affection for Pope John Paul II.
As he prepared to leave, the pope walks into the crowd to bestow a departing blessing.
Abunda Loper, 85, Des Moines, wanted to see the pope as the one thing she did before she died. She camed out in a field in the night to insure a place in the crowd.
Iowa to Pope; We Love You
DES MONIES, Iowa. For the more than 430,000 people who withdrew the wind and chilly weather—since 5 a.m.—the IFS seemed to provide a blanket of warmth.
Carrying a message of love of the earth and deep rewards from farmland, the popo celebrated an hour-and-a-half Mass before the crowd gathered on the verdant land.
Visitors bundled in sleeping bags, skis jackets and sweaters tramped the fields of the farms to move as closely as possible to the fence enclosing the palant alar.
Early morning arrivals included a family from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who said, "It's a beautiful day. It's so nice to have a pope who will come out and see the neele."
"We came prepared," they said, pulling blankets closer. "We're ready to wait."
As the morning wore on and the autumn winds sharpened, spectators began making acquaintances with their neighbors for the day.
Food was being shared with those who did not bring their own. Blankets and cushions were passed around to keep people off the cold, damped earth.
Five chartered buses carrying more than 170 KU students and Lawrence residents arrived at Living History Farms, west of Des Moines, around a 9. a.m.
Scores of other bus travelers arrived between 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., while others could be seen traveling in two hours later from the straggling car nearly 400 yards (from the pilgrim owl).
By 2 p.m., the 600-acre farm was jammed with people sitting, standing, lying and sleeping—all awaiting the oo's arrival.
Babies snuggled close to their mothers as crisp winds swept the Iowa plain, tossing clouds of dust into the air.
Lines to portable toilets stretched into a two-hour wait, but tapered as the estimated time of the pontiff's arrival grew near.
Nuns waited patiently for the pope by saving the rosary.
"I stood in St. Peter's Square, but I never thought I'd be standing on our own
Two sisters from St. Mary's College in Leavenworth were among the 200 people who rode buses from Leavenworth to Living History Farms.
American soil to see the pope," Sister Marie Paula Hardy said.
"He's been through all, living through World War II and he has paid his dues for everything he says," she said.
Sister Mary Edwin Dcourse from St. Mary, who will be teaching philosophy at the University of Kansas next semester, made insightful ideas made an impression on neobel.
A woman from Prairie Village said she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to see the none.
"My husband will never take me to Rome to see him, so this is my only chance."
Visitors from Crete, Neb., said they arrived at 6:45 a.m. to get a good spot on the field to see the noon.
"We're getting pretty excited about him coming. We're just so glad he is coming so we will be able to close to him," they said.
Although most of the crowd was middle-aged and elderly people, children also were visible in the crowd.
"This is the first and last time we'll get to see him, an 11-year-old boy from west Des Moines said.
Shortly after noon, nearly 75 priests and church officials marched down the ramp leading to the basilica, which held an ecumenical service. For many cold and tred vestitions, that was a sign of the death.
The crowd, which had been shifting throughout the morning, came to a standstill by early afternoon.
Children scrambled to the shoulders of their parents as massive arms began waving to the helicopter circling high around the field.
It was nearly 3:30 p.m. before the pope's helicopter could be seen in the sky south of the farm.
"He is almost an hour and a half late, but no one cares," a man nearby said.
Cries of "Oh here he comes. That's him," errupted across the crowd as thousands of cameras began clicking simultaneously.
"Look, you can see him," one man said to his wife, who answered, "Yep, that's him right." Second later Secret Servicemen emerged from the bellcaster, but no pipe.
A second helicopter approached and the crowd began waving once again. The air was laden with dust as Marine Corps Boeing 737s "carry" the ponfiff landed on Iowa soil.
Minutes later Pope John Paul II appeared in the doorway and was greeted by heartwarming cheers from the audience.
Photos by Bill Frakes
Gressed in the traditional white and carrying a golden staff of St. Peter, the pontifal slowly made his way along a lengthy procession of priests and bishops.
There was a sense of power emanating from the white clad figure as he made his way to the altar. He walked as if he were standing before the altar with the knowledge that he was being followed.
Gifts of corn baskets, a pair of milk and a small tree were presented to the pope from a select group of participants. Joseph Hays Jr. (left) and his wife, Nora, the note on visita were, ill bearers.
With the exception of repeating prayers in unison, silence loomed over the crowd throughout the consecration.
Breaking the stillness of the plain, the pope emerged with his deep Polish accented voice, asking for an exchange of peace among the crowd.
Instantly, strangers were hugging each other, tears tricking down their cheeks, in a joyous response to the pope's request.
Communion was distributed to 150 people by the pontifix who priested stood at the edge of the crowd giving Communion over the fence to those nearby.
"He blessed everyone along the way. I hope he's not too tired to say Mass," a spectator said as the pope roasted in his high-backed chair in the center of the altar.
Accompanying him to the altar were 21 bishops from across the United States. Together the pope and bishops celebrated the feast of the saints gold, rasp, bronze and marigold mums and mums.
Story by Rosemary Intfen
Cameras clicked and binoculars were adjusted as thousands perched on their tapes and strained their necks when the pope stepped forward to deliver his address to
During his homily, the pope emphasized the importance of the farmer's role in providing food for the world.
"The land is not only God's gift, it is also man's responsibility. By hard work you have become masteries of the earth and you can teach mankind how to fruitfulness which modern agricultural advances have made possible, you support the lives of millions who themselves do not work the land, but who live because of what man has done," the post said during his 28-minute sermon.
The Holy Father stressed that attitudes of gratitude, careful conservation of land and generosity were essential to rural life.
"You who live in the heartland of America have been entrusted with some of the most important resources God has given to the world. Therefore conserve the land well, so that your children's children will be well nourished and even richer than was entrusted to you."
"But also remember what the heart of your vocation is. While it is true here that farming is the best livelihood for the farmer, still it will always be more than an enterprise of profit-making. In farming, you cooperate with the Creator in the very sustenance of life on earth."
Thousands of rosaries and religious medals were raised high into the air as the pope bestowed his final blessing on the crowd before ending the historical Mass.
Keeping with the tradition he had set in Boston, New York and Philadelphia, the team has gone on to Servicemen and marched into the crowd to give a personal goodbye to grateful spec-
Cheers rose as the pope moved from platform to platform shaking hands with the irritant neon.
Cries of "Long live the pope" followed John Paul as he was escorted back to the waiting helicopter.
The pope acknowledges the masses as he prepares to give his address.