Pope Inspires Fellow Sufferers

From Centre Daily Times | 03/12/2005 | A divine inspiration:

"As the pontiff endures his latest hospitalization, Romanowski is offering her own marathon of rosary prayers from her Philadelphia rowhouse.

Romanowski, 90, who has severe arthritis, sat in her living room last week and, in her native Polish, described her deepest wishes. They were translated by her daughter and prayer partner, Theresa.

'Whenever she feels worse, because she has good days and bad days, she always thinks about him because he's carrying his cross, and she wants to carry the cross of Christ with him,' Theresa Romanowski said. 'She wishes she could take his pain more for herself.'

The Catholic faithful always have felt a close spiritual bond to their pope. But the Roman- owskis and others say this pope, with his mounting infirmities, is uplifting them in new ways."