During his 26 years as Pope, John Paul came to see Canada and its 13 million Roman Catholics three times -- in 1984, 1987 and 2002 -- for a total of 21 days. The stays were brief, but like the fleeting encounter that helped nourish the Parson family's faith, the papal visits are woven into the fabric of the communities he toured and into the history of the country, leaving an indelible imprint on countless lives.

The 1984 tour -- a gruelling, 12-day, coast-to-coast odyssey that came at perhaps the height of the Pope's global ministry -- stands apart for its scope and significance. It was the first time a serving pope had set foot on Canadian soil.

The visit came at a time when Church teachings about birth control and divorce were being challenged by rapidly shifting social attitudes. The sense that the Pope was arriving in Canada during an era of difficult adjustment and sweeping change was reinforced by the fact that he was greeted at the start of his tour in Quebec City by Liberal prime minister John Turner and escorted upon his departure from Ottawa's airport by newly elected Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney, sworn in just days before.

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