John Glenn: 77-year-old reaches for and grasps the stars
Editor’s note:
The following commentary first ran in 1998 in the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Washington. It was written by the paper’s editor, Mark Zimmermann. Although dated (the column contains quotes from then-78 year old Pope John Paul II) the SKR thought the message the column contains was worth repeating. It was published in the SKR’s special "Retirement and Senior Living" issue."Godspeed, John Glenn."
Thirty-six years ago, Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter uttered those words as John Glenn’s spacecraft rocketed skyward from Florida, and Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth.
Carpenter repeated those words as the space shuttle Discovery blasted off with the 77-year-old Glenn on board, and he soon became the oldest person to travel in space. Among the millions of people worldwide who anxiously followed Glenn’s historic flight in 1962 was Pope John XXIII, who prayed for the astronaut’s success.
And last week, during a Vatican conference on aging, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, praised the Ohio senator and astronaut, who returned to space on the same day that the conference began.
"Just think of it," the archbishop said the next morning, "a man as old as the pope is now orbiting the world."
At the conference, Pope John Paul II, who is 78, urged the world to respect the dignity of its growing elderly population. He called for increasing solidarity between generations. And the pope noted, "The old person is not to be considered only an object of attention" because he or she is old.
Many news reports emphasize the pope’s age and seeming frailty. But some church observers say the pope’s continued dedication to his ministry, despite his sometimes apparent frailty, is perhaps one of the most powerful witnesses he has offered to the dignity of all human life. At an age when many retire, he continues to work tirelessly, and he hopes to lead the Catholic Church into the next millennium.
In space, Glenn has uttered some moving statements about God. On his fourth day in orbit, Glenn told reporters, "I pray every day. To look out at this kind of creation out here and not believe in God is, to me, impossible. It just strengthens my faith."
Just as they did 36 years ago, the people of Perth, Australia, turned on all of their lights as a signal of respect to the astronaut. The nighttime glow was recognized by the pioneer astronaut in 1962 and happily seen by him again last week. May a similar light come to people around the world, who might recognize, by the examples of an aged pope and an elderly astronaut, the dignity and worth of all senior citizens. The elderly contributed to our community and world throughout their lives, and they continue to do so today. "Godspeed, John Glenn." And godspeed, also, to Pope John Paul II, and to the senior citizens who may not gain headlines, but touch our lives every day.