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Pope John Paul II to St. Louis, MO January 26 & 27, 1999 Who knew on Janurary 26 and 27, 1999, when Pope John Paul II made his historical pastoral visit to St. Louis, MO, that the crowds along the parade routes and at the various venues were actually seeing and hearing a future saint? During the 31 hours in the "Gateway City," the visit culminated with the Holy Father celebrating Mass in the then TWA Dome before an audience of nearly 100,000 people. )
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Despite a relatively brief visit, there was a plethora of items available to commemorate the historic event. One item that was in limited availabilty was this two-inch in diameter medallion of the Pope. It is sculpted in very high relief which results in its dramatic appearance.The Old Court House and Gateway Arch are in the background on the obverse of the medallion and a depiction of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (commonly reffered to as the "New Cathedral") is shown on the reverse. It is not made of gold, but is likely bronze with a gold wash, based on its size and weight. For most Catholics in the St. Louis area, the visit by the Pope was a once-in-a-lifetime happening and, in the case of John Paul II, has now become an even more momentous event in that very few people have ever had the opportunity to see a future saint nor be able to attend a Mass celebrated by one. There is one more significance to the Pope's visit to St. Louis: It was the last time that Pope John Paul II visited the United States. Over the previous 20 years he had visited 18 states and Washington D.C. |
