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Pope Benedict XVI accepts offertory gifts from a
Missionaries of Charity nun at a Mass in Nationals
Park in Washington April 18.(CNS photo/L'Osservatore
Romano via Catholic Press Photo) | |
Quick Facts About Today’s Mass
• Bishops are wearing brilliant red robes to signify that this is a Mass of the Holy Spirit
• 300 priests and deacons will distribute Communion to more than 40,000 Mass attendees in 20 minutes
• More than 300 volunteers are helping to direct arrivals, distribute welcome packs, and perform other duties related to today’s Mass
• The coats of arms of Pope Benedict XVI and Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl appear on the Pope’s chalice. The chalice itself was made in Spain
• The processional Cross appears courtesy of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. |
A Catholic Digest Papal ExclusiveWASHINGTON, D.C. — By 7:30 a.m., Jesse and Connie Villarreal of Austin, Texas, were in their seats at Nationals Park baseball stadium. The retired OSHA compliance officer and elementary school teacher were thrilled to be attending this morning’s papal Mass.
"We got up about 4:30 this morning. We thought we were beating the crowds, but by the time we got to the subway, hundreds were there before us.”
Most Catholics in the crowd agreed that the best thing about a papal Mass is seeing so many Catholics come together to celebrate our faith. “I’m so excited!” exclaimed a woman who asked not to be identified. “I feel just like a little kid. I have butterflies in my stomach and everything!”
Thomas Young, a retired State Department employee from Suitland, Maryland, won his tickets in a lottery at St. Teresa of Avila Parish. Not coming to the festivities seemed almost inconceivable to Young. “Oh my goodness,” I am a fourth-generation Catholic! I am very, very active in my church. I call myself a walking, living miraculous testimony of God. Oh, yes, this is my life, honey.”
Farther down in the bleachers, 29-year-old massage therapist Elizabeth Kimball shaded her eyes against the rising sun. “I just really wanted to see it,” she said of the papal Mass. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the pope in your hometown. It strengthens your faith to see so many Catholics in one place sharing your beliefs.”
Homeschooling Mom Nancy Brien of Manassas, Virginia, brought her children, Sarah, 11, and Hugh, 13. “It’s the ultimate field trip,” she explained.
By 8:30, the bishops began their parade onto the ball field at Nationals Park. Their scarlet robes swayed in time to a resounding choir and state-of-the-art, record-size video screen hanging above the outfield.
There was some anxiety among archdiocesan officials in Washington, whose preparations for the papal event were hampered at times because the brand-new stadium was in the final stages of completion as officials themselves were putting final plans into place for Pope Benedict’s arrival.
Positioned just blocks from our nation’s Capitol, Nationals Park was in fact completed on March 30, just weeks before the Pope arrived in America. Including onfield seating, the stadium’s capacity is 42,000. It will host about 46,000 today.
Although the pope was not expected to say Mass until 10 a.m., the stadium was all but filled by 8:30. Video testimonies of faith and spiritual song performance occupied the anticipatory crowd.
Only 103,000 tickets were available for the papal Masses in Washington and New York combined making attendance at today’s celebration all the more coveted. Organizers worked hard, also, to ensure tickets could not spark a resale circus, requiring IDs in addition to tickets for general admittance.
In his homily at Nationals Stadium, the pope was expected to salute America’s growing generations of faith and, in particular, the leadership of Washington’s archbishop Donald Wuerl as well as the growth of the dioceses of Boston, Philadelphia, and New York.
In addition, the pope planned to speak of the need to witness faith in our world and note that this is a time of great promise but also a time of alienation and a coarsening of sociability.
Pope Benedict arrived at Nationals Park at about 9:30 as the choir broke into “Holy God, We Praise Your Name,” a song of German origin and a tribute to Benedict XVI’s Bavarian heritage. A ballpark ethereally transformed into an open-air cathedral, the stadium-church erupted in applause as the pope circled the field.
