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Standing-room-only at Norcross church
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The always well-attended Spanish-language mass at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Norcross drew a standing-room-only crowd at sunset Saturday. More than 600 people crammed into the stone sanctuary to hear Father Abe Guerrero. Many stopped near the entrance to make the sign of the cross in front of a white-framed photo of the Pope flanked by wicker baskets of flowers.
Maria Morales, of Lawrenceville, said a wave of peacefulness washed over her upon learning of the Pope’s death while dining with her husband at a Doraville restaurant. It was the same feeling she had when watching the Pope ride down a thoroughfare in her native Cali, Colombia in 1986.
“He was waving at everybody,” Morales recalled. “He gave off a peacefulness so marvelous, so nice. It was very special.”
Morales noted that Pope John Paul II had embraced Latin America through frequent visits, particularly to Mexico.
“Let’s not forget how he beatified Juan Diego,” Morales said, referring to the Indian said to have seen the Virgin of Guadeloupe in 1531. Pope John Paul II both beatified and canonized Juan Diego during trips to Mexico.
Belarmina Arriola, of Norcross, said she had planned to relax between her two Saturday shifts cleaning office buildings. But after learning of the Pope’s death, the El Salvador native said she decided to put on her church best and pay homage to the pontiff before returning to work at 9 p.m.
“I’m glad his suffering is over,” she said. “He was such a beautiful man.”
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