It doesn’t seem possible that it has been 30 years since Pope John Paul II made his historic visit to rural Des Moines, Iowa. As a young reporter, I was among nearly 350,000 people gathered on a hillside to welcome the Holy Father. It is an experience I’ll never forget.
As the pope celebrated Mass and preached to the throngs of people, it reminded me of what the Sermon on the Mount must have been like. I really felt the presence of Jesus in our midst that day in October of 1979.