Whether it lasts five minutes or five seconds, an encounter with a future saint leaves a lifelong impression for those strong of faith.

Just ask Eugene Sabado.

For nearly 20 years, the cantor for St. Philomena Church in Salt Lake has reflected on the import of his unexpected 1995 meeting with Pope John Paul II.

Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII are being canonized by Pope Francis Sunday morning in Rome. It is the first time in the 2,000-year history of the Roman Catholic Church that two popes ascend to sainthood in the same ceremony.

Pope John XXIII, who was born Angelo Giuseppe

Roncalli, was pontiff from 1958 to 1963. He is best remembered for calling the Second Vatican Council, the historic assembly of church leaders that culminated in a number of reforms that established the church’s position in relation to temporary society.

Pope John Paul II, born Karol Jozef Wojtyla, was the first non-Italian pope in more than 350 years and would ultimately become the second longest serving pope in church history.

An itinerant figure with telegenic charm, Pope John Paul II became a global icon whose popularity transcended religion.

None of this was lost on Sabado when he was called to advise the pontiff on the finer points of Hawaiian pronunciation.

Sabado was in Belgium for the beatification of Father Damien. His duty for the day was to recite the Prayer of the Faithful. But before the ceremony started, Sabado was ushered to a room at the back of the stage.

"And there he was," Sabado recalled. "He had brought out a prayer book. He wanted to say something in Hawaiian and he wanted to know if he was saying it correctly.

"I was so nervous, I wasn’t even listening to what he was saying," Sabado said, laughing. "He’s the pope. What was I going to say? I just said ‘yes.’"

The pontiff gave Sabado three rosaries, one of which Sabado still keeps at his bedside.

"Being in his presence was just wonderful," Sabado said. "He was so charismatic yet not authoritative, just very kind. All these years later, I still think about it. It means even more to me now. I actually spoke to a saint."

Jon James, a professor emeritus at Chaminade University and co-founder of the Premananda orphanages in southern India, also reflects often on his brief encounter with His Holiness.

James first saw the pope in Piazza, Italy, in 1979, a few months after John Paul II was elected to the papacy. Though viewed from afar, the new pope struck James as "charismatic and wonderful."

That impression was cemented a few years later when James attended a papal audience in the Vatican.

Thanks to a couple of friendly Jesuit priests he knew though the Newman Center, James was able to secure a front-row seat. He sat rapt as John Paul II prayed, gave a short address and acknowledged different groups from around the world who were in attendance.

As the pope exited down the center aisle, he paused to shake hands with those at the end of the rows.

"When he came to our section, he shook hands with the first three people in our row then turned to the opposite aisle," James said. "But I was No. 4. So I said, ‘Holy Father, why did you skip me?’"

James said the words shot through his lips before he could consider their audacity. To his surprise, the pope turned around.

"He looked at me and rubbed his index fingers together like ‘no-no,’" James said. "But he had a twinkle in his eye. He wasn’t offended. He enjoyed it. And he gave me a blessing.

"In that instance I saw his humanity and his playfulness," James said. "It was a wonderful feeling."

James has a history of calling out to future saints.

Once, during a visit to Calcutta, India, James had a chance meeting with Mother Teresa, who was beatified in 2003.

"I saw her and said, ‘Mother Teresa, how are you?’"

The two ended up chatting for 40 minutes. Later, inspired by Mother Teresa’s example, James opened a pair of orphanages in southern India.

James was looking forward to Sunday morning’s canonization ceremony in part because of his belief that he might witness the work of yet another future saint.

"I think Pope Francis has a lot of the same qualities as (Pope John Paul II) but he also has maybe a better understanding of the Catholic world," James said. "He has a love for all and believes that the church has something to say for everyone."

Gregory Smith’s encounter with the pope was nothing short of miraculous, according to his mother, Connie.

Mother and son traveled to Rome in 1993 in the hope of seeing the pontiff in person. As they waited in line amid a throng of other eager pilgrims, a nun approached and grabbed Gregory’s hand.

"She led him to the front to a special area," Connie Smith said. "As the pope walked by, he touched hands with the people nearby. When he came to someone who was handicapped, he would stop and give them a special blessing."

When the pope spotted Gregory, who has Down syndrome, he stopped and conferred a blessing on him.

Gregory, taking to heart the old adage about what to do "when in Rome," blessed the pope right back.

The pope’s official photographer captured the moment and the photo now hangs on the Smiths’ living-room wall.

"The whole morning was a miracle," said Connie Smith. "I’ve told Greg that the nun was really an angel sent to take him there. How often can you say that your son blessed a saint?"

Smith, James and Sabado were profiled in the Friday edition of the Hawaii Catholic Herald.