"Tsunami" of vocational interest following papal visit

New York Daily News reports that Pope Benedict's U.S. visit has resulted in "a tsunami of New York seminary applications:

A clergy-starved Archdiocese of New York was facing a crisis - until Pope Benedict arrived.

For the first time in 108 years, St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers was preparing for a year with no new students.

But, after the Holy Father's whirlwind city tour, dozens have heard the call.

"It's been like a tsunami, a good tsunami of interest," said the archdiocese's vocations director, the Rev. Luke Sweeney.

"I've been meeting people all week and have a lot of e-mails I haven't had the chance yet to respond to. It has been incredible."

For a city whose ratio of priests-to-congregation members is among the worst in the country, Benedict's presence and inspiration has been a blessing to Reverend Sweeney:

"We were hoping the Pope would convince many who were considering the priesthood to make the next step. It looks like he did."

In only three days since the Pope left New York after a visit that included speaking to 25,000 young people on the seminary's grounds, dozens of prospective priests have contacted Sweeney.

"One said he came, saw the crowd, heard what the Pope said and then called us," said Sweeney. "He said his questions and concerns were answered when he heard him speak."

Related

• Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for the 45th Day of Prayer for Vocations April 13, 2008.
• Saint Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie) (Homepage)

"Fishers of Men" USCCB vocations video produced by Grassroots Films - Part I embedded | "Fishers of Men - Part II

3,000 volunteers assisted in New York's papal events

Catholic News Service Angelo Stagnaro reports on the 3,000 volunteers who assisted in New York's papal events, "coordinated under the watchful and loving scrutiny of Sisters Joan Curtin, 63, and Deanna Sabetta, 67, of the Congregation of Notre Dame" (April 24, 2008):

"Cardinal Egan appointed us because of our experience working with volunteers," explained Sister Joan.

She is in charge of the New York Archdiocese's Catechetical Office and oversees 10,000 volunteer catechists in the 10 counties that make up the archdiocese. Sister Deanna is the director of the archdiocesan Office of Vocations and the teacher volunteer program, which places teachers in inner-city Catholic schools.

"The papal volunteers were the most gracious, generous people I've ever come across," Sister Joan said in an interview with Catholic News Service. "The hours didn't matter to them."

Duties for the volunteers included standing outside St. Patrick's Cathedral April 19 to guide cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests and women religious attending the papal Mass there and helping move people from chartered buses, city buses and the subway into Yankee Stadium April 20.

"Each volunteer worked six- to seven-hour shifts. In the case of the youth rally in Yonkers, (many) didn't leave the site until 11 p.m.," said Sister Deanna, referring to the rally for seminarians and young people at St. Joseph's Seminary. [...]

Sister Deanna noted that "many of the volunteers who served outside of the papal venues (were) simply physically very far away from the pope, answering questions or guiding the lost, and thus didn't actually see him."

But still they helped out because "they just wanted to be in proximity to him," explained Sister Joan.

U.S. Papal Visit carries a hefty cost . . .

The New York Times reports on the hefty costs of hosting the U.S. papal visit -- "at least 3 million" for the Archdiocese of Washington, "no estimate" as of yet for the New York portion:

The two archdioceses on the Pope’s schedule have taken different approaches to financing the visit. Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington decided that parish and diocesan money should not be used for the visit, Ms. Gibbs [a spokeswoman for the Washington archdiocese] said, given the other financial pressures that the archdiocese faces. Instead, Archbishop Wuerl established the Christ Our Hope foundation, financed by wealthy donors, to underwrite the costs. Ms. Gibbs declined to identify the donors or the size of their contributions.

The foundation has raised more than $3 million so far; any surplus will be donated to a charity of the Pope’s choice, in his name, Ms. Gibbs said.

Security costs may eat up much of the foundation’s resources.

Carrie Brooks, a spokeswoman for Mayor Adrian M. Fenty of Washington, said that the Secret Service was taking the lead in coordinating the Pope’s security while he is in the capital. Ms. Brooks said city police will be most involved in coordinating street closures for processions. The total expected cost to the city is estimated at $2,190,955, to provide security, close streets and clean up after parades, she said.

Ms. Brooks said in an e-mail message that every year, the city tries to get back from the federal government what it spends on such efforts for visiting dignitaries, and that it has “also reached out to the archdiocese to discuss cost-sharing.”

Mark Ackerman: "Blessed with a Cardinal Assignment"

"Say this about Ackermann: The guy has juice", proclaims Shannon Mullen of the Asbury Park Press, in an extensive profile of the man Cardinal Egan selected to coordinate Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the Archdiocese of New York:

"In my upbringing," says Ackermann, whose sister, Marialice, is a nun in a Catholic religious order, "when a cardinal archbishop asks you to do something, you do it."

And, he adds, you pray that you'll rise to the challenge.

A daunting task indeed, given the Pope's New York intinerary. Security of course, is an issue:

"In the old days, you could just give a priest 50 tickets and say, 'Give them out to whomever you want,' " Ackermann says. "Now, you need names, addresses and dates of birth."

Each of the 90,000 tickets being distributed for the various papal events will have a unique bar code, and each ticket holder will need to show a photo ID and pass through an airport-like security check. The tickets are nontransferable.

Ackermann needs no reminding of the reasons for the extra security measures. On Sept. 11, 2001, when the two airliners crashed into the World Trade Center, he was in his car on the Garden State Parkway on his way into work.

That morning, and for weeks afterward, he was thrust into the media spotlight as the chief spokesman for St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan ...

Judging by the testimony of his neighbors, the Pope is in good hands:

His fellow altar server as these Masses is Raymond C. Teatum, 68, of New York City. Like Teatum, Ackermann is a member of the Order of Malta and the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, two prominent lay Catholic organizations. Teatum says Egan chose the right man to coordinate the papal visit.

"Not everybody could handle it," Teatum says of the high-pressure role. "He has the capacity and the patience to do that job, and believe me, it takes patience" ...

His sister, Sister Marialice Ackermann, 59, principal at St. Rose of Lima School, a largely Hispanic, inner-city elementary school in New Haven, Conn., is confident the pope's visit is in good hands.

"He's had a lot of experience from Sept. 11," she says. "He's been in New York so many years, he knows the police officers, the chief of police. He knows the ins and outs of New York."

• Previously: Planning the Papal Visit March 13, 2008.

NY Catholic school teachers vote on whether to strike during Papal Visit

Catholic school teachers will vote Tuesday on the possibility of a strike the week Pope Benedict XVI visits New York, reports Lindsay Suchow Poughkeepsie Journal (March 31, 2008):

Teachers at 10 Archdiocesan high schools, including Our Lady of Lourdes in Poughkeepsie, may walk out of their classes before and during the pope’s April 18 to 20 visit.

“This, in no way, is a protest against the Holy Father, but rather it is designed to let the Catholic community know that we have a problem in New York — that being we have a cardinal who does not care about Catholic education,” Henry Kielkucki, business manager of the Lay Faculty Association, said in a prepared statement.

Joseph Zwilling, communications director for the Archdiocese of New York, said a strike would be pointless.

“It would be a terrible thing if they did (strike),” Zwilling said. “They’ll lose more money, they’ll disrupt the education of their students and not in any way advance their cause.”

According to the Times Herald Record, the teachers have been without a contract since September and an independent mediator failed to bridge the gap between them:

Association president John Fedor, a science teacher at Burke, says he expects his members to vote to walk out. . . .

Fedor says member won't do anything to actively interrupt the papal visit, but the strike's timing has a purpose.

"We are looking to embarrass the archdiocese," Fedor said. "They deserve to be embarrassed."

Update!

• Teacher strike may embarrass archdiocese LoHud.com / Journal-News:

  union of Catholic school teachers decided last night to go on strike, a move that may continue during Pope Benedict XVI's New York visit to publicize its contract dispute with the Archdiocese of New York.

  "Oh, they'll vote to strike," said Henry Kielkucki, business manager of the Lay Faculty Association, which represents about 430 teachers at 10 high schools from Staten Island to Poughkeepsie. "It's unfortunate it's gone this far." Advertisement

  The vote came in at 132-20 in favor of striking.

NY1 on Ratzinger's Return to St. Joseph's Seminary

Pope Benedict Returns To Yonkers Seminary After 20 Years - Shazia Khan. NY1.com March 20, 2008:

Twenty years ago, Father Michael Morris was still a student at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, when a special guest from Vatican City paid a visit – Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the German man who will return to New York City in April as Pope Benedict XVI.

“The enthusiasm was incredible because we read his books," said Morris. "He's a scholar - that's his work. He's a teacher and he's a studier, he's a reader, he's a great student. And we were just thrilled to be able to meet him.”

Back in 1988, Ratzinger was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, responsible for defending the church orthodoxy. He came to be known as “Cardinal No,” even “God's Rottweiler” for his strict adherence to the doctrine.

This April, Ratzinger will go back to St. Joseph’s Seminary as part of his papal visit.

“The pope's job is to proclaim the message of our faith in Jesus Christ and proclaim what that means and how people must live their lives and how to develop it,” said Father Gerard Rafferty, a professor at St. Joseph’s Seminary.

“In his last job, he was given the task of looking at what other people were doing and proclaiming and then trying to evaluate and help them evaluate whether in fact they were remaining consistent to the church,” said Rafferty. [...]

Bishop Gerald Walsh, the seminary’s rector, will join Edward Cardinal Egan to welcome the pope who will first greet seminarians before meeting a small group of children with disabilities in the chapel. He will then step outside and on to a stage to address more than 20,000 young Catholics, some of whom might be interested in religious vocations.

Archdiocese of New York: Papal Skateboard Art Design Contest

If you are between the ages of 11 -18 and live in the Archdiocese of New York, you are eligible to submit your artwork to the Papal Skateboard Art Design contest. The winner will recieve three tickets to the Youth Rally at St. Joseph's Seminary.

The winner will be commissioned to design the artwork of the Official Papal Skateboard, a gift to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI from the youth of the Archdiocese of New York. Contestants are limited to the use of only four (4) colors: Papal Gold, Black, White and Red. One winner will be determined by a panel of judges based on creativity and originality. The use of symbols such as the Papal Visit Logo, Papal Crest, and the motto "CHRIST OUR HOPE" are highly encouraged. The winner’s design will be used to decorate the convex side (bottom side) of the Papal Skateboard.

• Papal Skateboard Artwork Submission Form
• Gallery of Entries in the "Papal Skateboard" Design Contest"

(Via Domini Sumus @ We Belong to the Lord).

Update

• Washington Heights Children Design A Papal Skateboard, by Tara Lynn Wagner. NY1 News. March 27, 2008.

New York City's Cardinal Egan, on the Papal Visit

Catholic News Service' Mary Ann Poust spoke with New York City's Cardinal Edward Egan on the papal visit:

Cardinal Egan said he hopes the papal visit to the New York Archdiocese will offer an opportunity to focus on "what the Catholic Church is all about -- the Gospel, prayer and our commitment to justice and charity."

He pointed out that the two main events to be held in the archdiocese will be Masses, one at St. Patrick's Cathedral April 19 and the other at Yankee Stadium April 20.

The Mass at St. Patrick's will be the first offered in the cathedral by a pope. Although Pope John Paul II visited the cathedral twice in his papacy, in 1979 and in 1995, he did not celebrate Mass there.

Egan also spoke of the Pope's request to visit the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center:

He said that he expects to tell Pope Benedict about his own experiences on Sept. 11, when he and his secretary, Msgr. Gregory Mustaciuolo, saw the second tower of the trade center come down from their post outside St. Vincent's Hospital where they waiting for victims of the attack to be brought for medical attention.

The cardinal said he will speak especially of the "heroism" he saw on the part of firefighters, police officers and emergency service officers and their leadership in intensive rescue and recovery efforts that followed the attacks.

The Archdiocese of New York is currently celebrating its bicentennial:

The visit will be an immense blessing for all of us," he continued. "We look forward to listening to the bishop of Rome, praying with him and celebrating with him as well.

"It is my prayer that when he returns home on April 20, we will all be a good deal closer to our Lord and Savior, whose vicar here on earth Pope Benedict XVI is," he said.

Cardinal Egan on Benedict's address to UN, visit to Ground Zero

This past week, New York 1's Roma Torre interviewed Cardinal Edward Egan on the Pope's impending visit, where he spoke of the Holy Father's intentions for speaking to the UN and his request to visit to the site of the former World Trade Center:

The pope's trip to New York was prompted by an invitation from United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. Benedict will arrive in New York on April 18 to address the U.N., where he is expected to discuss among other things, the War in Iraq.

"And if that's the Holy Father's intention, which I suspect it is, to speak in favor of peace, then I would have to say it is worth the trip," said Egan.

On the morning of April 20th, the pope, by his own request, will make a visit to the World Trade Center Site.

"I was delighted, but a little taken back," said Egan. "I didn't think that he would do that, but this is not my idea, nor is it my good friend Mayor Michael Bloomberg's idea. This was his request."

The Holy Father will descend the ramp to a shallow pool of water, where there will be a candle. He will be greeted by both the governor of New York and New Jersey, along with Bloomberg, firefighters, police officers and emergency workers.

"We will have representatives of families who have lost loved ones and we will also have representatives of people who were injured as a result," he said. "They will be waiting for him down in Ground Zero when he comes down this ramp."

Benedict's Mass at St. Patrick's will be New York's "First"

Pope Benedict's mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral will be a "first" for the New York Archdiocese, says Cardinal Egan. New York One reports:

This will be the first mass ever celebrated by a pope in Saint Patrick's Cathedral. Now some of your audience is going to say what about Pope John Paul, or Pope Paul the VI? They did not ever celebrate mass in the cathedral so this is a first, and NY1 knows it first."

Archdiocese of New York: Website for the Papal Visit

The Archdiocese of New York has set up a special page devoted to Benedict XVI's visit. It's pretty sparse at the moment but they will update it as new information becomes available.

• Ticket Information
• Tentative Itinerary
• Press Releases

Archdiocese of New York: "No Ticket Scalping!"

Free tickets to Pope's Yankee Stadium Mass tempt scalpers, By Corky Siemazko. Daily News November 14, 2007:

Thou shalt not scalp tickets to the upcoming Papal Mass at Yankee Stadium.

That was the warning Tuesday to potential profiteers from the Archdiocese of New York, which said it will distribute the coveted tickets through the parishes — and they're free.

"We want to emphasize that," said diocesan spokesman Joseph Zwilling. "Tickets are free of charge."

Zwilling spoke a day after the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict would be making his first U.S. visit as leader of the Catholic church.