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METRO AREA — When Pope John Paul II died, the world lost a great friend, says metro Detroit's Msgr. Michael Dylag.

"He was what the world wants," says Msgr. Dylag. "He was a great communicator. He made sure that people knew someone cared about them."

Msgr. Michael Dylag, a friend of Pope John Paul II, holds just a few of the items from his papal collection.

The loss was also a very personal one for Msgr. Dylag, who had dinner with the pope about 30 times and concelebrated Mass with him at least 50 times.

Msgr. Dylag calls it an honor to have been included among a small group sharing Christmas and Easter dinners with the pontiff for many years. In his sunny dining room, Msgr. Dylag speaks of his visit this past Christmas and displays a list he put together of the 13 people who gathered for the meal. He collected the place cards afterwards — it was the first time they had place cards, he says — and noted what the menu included and where each of them sat.

Those place cards, from the last dinner Msgr. Dylag shared with the pope, have now taken their place among his stunning papal collection, which includes signed books and photographs, artwork and stamps, and exact copies of the decrees when the pope created two saints — also signed by the pontiff.

He's been more than willing to share – most of the items in the Polish Heritage Room of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, in Washington D.C., were donated by Msgr. Dylag. His work with the JPII Cultural Center caps a long career in the Church, including 18 years in development at the Orchard Lake Schools.

But it's apparent that what Msgr. Dylag values most has been his longtime friendship with the pope. He met Cardinal Karol Wojtyla back in 1969 at the University of Pittsburgh, and says it was evident that here was an "exceptional man."

"There was a sanctity I saw in him," Msgr. Dylag says. "And yet, he was a very human person."

Others also recognized Cardinal Wojtyla's special qualities, Msgr. Dylag says.

Several pictures of the pope hang in Msgr. Michael Dylag’s residence.

"In 1969 – way back then – I was at a monastery near St. Vincent's Archabbey – that was the first Benectine monastery in America," Msgr. Dylag recalls. "Four of us were in the courtyard, and Archabbot (Rembert) Weakland told me that Wojtyla had a chance of becoming pope."

That turned out to be true, as virtually the entire world knows now.

Msgr. Dylag, who has just returned to the United States from Rome and says he has met every cardinal appointed by the pope, recalls his feelings during the funeral.

"It was so uplifting, so beautiful," he says. "When they were carrying the coffin, they lifted it up and turned it each way — because he cared about everyone. This pope — everything and anything he did, he did it for the people.

"It was just overwhelming," he says. "I can't explain it in words. There were mostly young people — they slept on the streets, people in their 20s, 30s, 40s. They had sleeping bags. It was unbelievable. People had signs in Italian saying the pope should be made a saint immediately."

While Vatican officials said April 11 that JPII could someday become a saint, normal procedures require a five-year wait after death until the process begins. In the case of Pope John Paul II, however, it could be speeded up.

Msgr. Dylag says Pope John Paul should be made a saint. "Every time I was with him — and that was many, many times — I don't know if you've ever been with a great person, but you could just feel it. He was the greatest person on Earth. He was accessible to every person."

That greatness was felt in many ways, Msgr. Dylag adds, by people of all ages and nationalities the world over. "He touched the hearts of young people — he loved the youth," Msgr. Dylag says. "He was a great communicator. He used the media to the fullest. He was the most visible pope ever, and touched so many hearts. He stood for moral principles, on abortion and contraception and for principles that never change. He spoke for human rights throughout his pontificate. He met all the rulers of the world.

"He never stopped learning," Msgr. Dylag adds, relating that when the pope visited Japan, he had a priest teach him Japanese so he could say the Mass in Japanese.

It was all part of the pope's ability to reach out to the people. Msgr. Dylag notes that the pope made more than 100 visits to nations all over the world; in addition, he visited 146 shrines in Italy and paid visits to 300 of the 350 parishes in Rome.

Msgr. Dylag was in the Philippine Islands when the pope was there. It was an unbelievable experience, Msgr. Dylag says, with 4 million people there.

A homily Msgr. Dylag wrote for this past weekend looks back on his experiences with the pope, and describes the pope's "grace and seemingly endless energy." Msgr. Dylag writes, "He radiated his faith. His many travels made it clear that he saw his mission as global and ecumenical. ... He traveled not only to the saved, or to Catholics. His love was for all of God's children, believers or non-believers. He embraced all with open arms and made it clear his love was universal. If you were human, he loved you."

Msgr. Dylag has worked tirelessly since 1978 on his papal collection; the pope gave him some of the items and Msgr. Dylag purchased others. Msgr. Dylag felt a special affinity with the pope, he says.

"I'm a priest and we shared a Polish background," he says. "I want to make sure this all is preserved. I've put my whole heart and soul into this."

In that spirit, Msgr. Dylag has made sure that others shared in his good fortune, taking groups once a year to Italy to meet with the pope and taking items for the pope's signatures on his other trips.

"I must have had 400 things signed for me, and for other people," Msgr. Dylag says, noting that the pope signed 35 things for him the week before he died. He points out one of those items, the book "Memory & Identity: Personal Reflections."

It's not possible to pinpoint which item has the most meaning to him. When asked, Msgr. Dylag says simply, "Everything. I treasure everything I have. I felt honored to have known him."