DC Parish offers 24 Hour Prayer Coverage during Papal Visit

St. Stephen Martyr Parish invites the public to be a prayerful part of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Washington D.C. The Church of St. Stephen Martyr will be open 24 hours a day from Tuesday April 15th until Friday April 18th.

Make a pilgrimage. Come be part of the work of hope. Come and pray for the Holy Father and his intentions, for the crowds who will see and hear him, and for all who need the light of Christ Our Hope.

(Via American Papist).

Reality Television, Catholic Style

Catholic Media Journal reports that Communication Arts students from Franciscan University of Steubenville will be in Washington, D.C. during Pope Benedict's visit to produce a reality-based television mini-series

Their production will be one of the first professionally produced documentaries to tell the true story of how college students are positively influenced by their religion and how they are moved by the first visit of this pontiff to the United States.

Prior to Pope Benedict’s arrival, the Franciscan University film crew will be granted special access to the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., where the pope will conduct a peace dialogue with leaders of other faiths that will be one of the most significant interfaith discussions of his papacy. The crew will be allowed into the chapel where the pope will pray and receive an in-depth briefing about the preparations and protocol for the pope’s visit. ... (More)

Pope to receive a Rose Garden Reception from President Bush

• The Bush administration is organizing a "unique'' Rose Garden ceremony as it finalizes plans for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI next week, reports Mark Silva of the Baltimore Sun:

  "There is great excitement throughout the staff regardless of one’s religious affiliation,” says White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin. “This is a very special day.”

  Hagin, together with Anita Bride, the first lady's chief of staff, held a roundtable discussion with members of faith-based media to give an inside look at the White House preparations. “As a Catholic,'' McBride said, "this is an enormous honor for me and a privilege to work on some small aspect of this visit.''

  The staff has prepared a ceremony that reflects the usual details reserved for heads of state, together with “very appropriate and warm additions.” McBride notes that nearly 10,000 people will attend the ceremony surrounding the pope's arrival on the South Lawn on Wednesday.

  A number of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will be present during the ceremony, along with members of Catholic Charities and community volunteers. The Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps will don their Revolutionary regalia for a presentation during the ceremony and will honor the Holy Father with the 21 gun salute, a typical gesture for a visiting head of state.

• The Rhode Island Catholic reports that President and Mrs. Bush have invited two priests from the Diocese of Providence, Monsignor Paul Theroux and Father Bernard Healey, to be among those who will join the President for the arrival ceremony:

  “It is a tremendous honor to join the President of the United States in welcoming the Holy Father to the United States,” said Father Healey. “Pope Benedict XVI is only the second Pope to visit the White House, making this a truly historic event. The Holy Father’s visit presents a unique time in which Catholics throughout Rhode Island and the country may strengthen their faith in Christ and the Church.”

• USA Today reports that President Bush is throwing a dinner in honor of Pope Benedict XVI. There's just one wrinkle: It doesn't include the pope.

• Cardinal Martino has taken it upon himself to inform everybody that Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming visit to the White House to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush does not signal Vatican support of the Bush administration's foreign policies:

  The cardinal spoke to reporters April 11 during a break in an international conference on disarmament sponsored by the Vatican council.

  "The pope and the Holy See cannot renounce with one visit all the Holy See's positions of rejecting war, always encouraging dialogue to smooth over disagreements and fostering cooperation," he said.

  He said the argument that U.S.-led troops have to remain in Iraq in order to bring security and protect the Christian minority is open to question.

  "Obviously the main error was to start a war, a second war" after the Gulf War against Iraq in 1991, he said.

  But whether it is wise to keep troops in Iraq is "a very difficult judgment" to make because some analysts say "the daily slaughter that unfolds in Iraq" is rooted in the continued presence of foreign troops, said the Italian cardinal.

  I honestly don't know who is making that assumption at this point in time. Not even from the so-called "Catholic neoconservatives" like Fr. Neuhaus, George Weigel or Michael Novak -- who simply state that there is a lot more to the U.S. / Vatican relationship than the dispute over Iraq; like their mutual agreement on a broad range of life issues, where our President does see "eye to eye".

Ways to see Pope Benedict XVI in Washington DC

If you're ticketless and hoping to at least catch a glimpse of the Pope in Washington DC, the USCCB has announced the Popemobile routes for Pope Benedict XVI.

"One Who Has Hope Lives Differently"

Metro buses in Washington are sporting a cool advertisement welcoming the Pope, courtesy of the Archdiocese of Washington.

Washington DC Metro issues commemorative "Mass Pass"

Taking Metro is best bet in getting to papal Mass, by Richard Szczepanowski. Catholic Standard March 26, 2008:

To celebrate Pope Benedict XVI's historic visit here, Metro is offering a commemorative one-day "Mass Pass" that will give riders unlimited access to Metro all day on April 17.

"It will feature the event logo so it will be a great keepsake of this special day," Susan Gibbs, a spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Washington, said.

Metro will sell the one-day commemorative pass for $9.

[The diocese recommends that] Mass-goers purchase the "Mass Pass" in advance to avoid the long lines expected at farecard machines that day. To purchase passes, log on to wmata.com/onlinestore. Individuals and groups up to 22 persons can purchase on-line using a credit card. For groups larger than 22 people, call 202-962-5700 to place a bulk order.

Papal Visit a Boon to the Struggling John Paul II Cultural Center

Pope Benedict XVI's visit will be a much-needed boon for the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center - Greg Trotter (Medill Reports, March 19, 2008):

The pope has scheduled a conference of about 200 religious leaders – of the Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist and Jain communities -- in the rotunda of the center in Washington on April 17. The leaders and youth representatives on hand will hear a papal address on world peace, provide greetings of their own and present symbolic gifts to the pope.

The pope’s visit will also help the center reinvent itself.

“We’ve shifted our focus from destination museum to place for interreligious dialogue,” said Hugh Dempsey, deputy director of the John Paul II Cultural Center, “and we look at the Holy Father’s visit as a confirmation of that shift.”

Conceived by Detroit’s Archbishop, Adam Cardinal Maida, the center first opened its doors in 2001 as a think tank, research center and religious art museum. It also features technologically interactive exhibits, a Polish history exhibit and a room containing unique artifacts belonging to John Paul II, such as his snow skis and running shoes.

Abundant with exhibits, and critically-acclaimed architecture, the museum seemed to have everything but visitors. . . . More

Related

• John Paul II Cultural Center Official Website
• Financially strapped archdiocese subsidizes troubled center National Catholic Reporter February 10, 2006.
• D.C. Papal Museum Struggles For Financial Foothold, Focus Washington Post February 12, 2006.

USCCB: Washington's public is invited to greet the Pope

Public Invited to Greet Pope as He Travels Through Washington U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. March 19, 2008:

Washingtonians and visitors to our nation's capital will have opportunities to greet Pope Benedict XVI during his three-day visit to Washington, D.C. when he arrives April 15. An important part of the pope's demanding itinerary includes opportunities for the public to see the pope as he travels to some events.

Details of the pope's travel routes are still being finalized, but there will be several opportunities for the general public to welcome the pope as he travels in the popemobile. Created for Pope John Paul II, the customized, bullet-proof vehicle allows for optimal visual contact between the pontiff and his audiences.

The general public can see the pope on Wednesday, April 16, as he departs from the White House visit with President and Mrs. Bush and travels to the Papal Nunciature on Massachusetts Avenue. Pope Benedict will ride in the popemobile for part of the route.

Later, the public will be able to see the pope as he travels in the popemobile to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on Michigan Avenue.

Samuel Weber to compose original chants for Papal Visit / Private Mass

WFU professor writes chants for Pope's U.S. visit - Wake Forest University Divinity School profiles Samuel Weber, associate professor of early Christianity and spiritual formation and composer of original chants for Benedict's visit to Washington DC:

The chants will be sung during Evening Prayer at 5:30 p.m. April 16 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception with Pope Benedict XVI presiding, and during a private mass with the Holy Father at the Apostolic Nunciature (Papal Embassy) the following morning.

"I am deeply honored to have a small part to play in the preparation of this vesper service,” says Weber. He composed original chant melodies for the antiphons, which are scriptural verses sung before and after the Psalms and Canticles of Vespers. Peter Latona, Basilica director of music, invited Weber to compose the chants and has created polyphonic settings based on Weber’s chants. During the service, the antiphons will be sung by the 24-member Choir of the Basilica in plain chant before the Psalms and Canticles of Vespers, and then repeated afterward in full harmony.

Weber, a Roman Catholic priest and Benedictine monk, says the decision to use chant melodies reflects the aesthetic and tradition at the heart of prayer life in the Roman Catholic Church. “Historically, sacred compositions were based on the chant melodies which formed the core of liturgical music.”

• Samuel F. Weber Faculty Homepage

AXcess News' Jennifer Rios reports on Washington Archbishops' preparation for the papal visit (March 14, 2008):

The city's Catholic leader hopes Pope Benedict XVI will see a "little slice of the church" that represents the rest of the United States when he makes his first U.S. visit as pope next month.

"If we ever get all the tickets distributed," Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl said, laughing at a news conference Thursday.

An estimated 45,000 people will need those tickets to attend Mass April 17 at Nationals Park, the first non-game event to take place at the new baseball stadium. He will speak to Catholic educators at the Catholic University of America, and to interfaith leaders at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, after the Mass.

On April 16, his 81st birthday, the pope will meet with President Bush. He will also meet with U.S. bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The archdiocese is still sorting out seating arrangements for the Mass, but "for every seat available we have at least three requests" from people in the area and from across the country, Wuerl said.

Tickets for the Mass will be mailed two weeks in advance, Wuerl said, in part to cut back on time recipients could use to sell the free tickets. Individual churches are deciding how to distribute their ticket allocations. Blocks of tickets are slotted for high school students and for nursing home residents.

Wuerl said the archdiocese wants to make sure that every aspect of the community will be represented.

Washington Metro Pocket Guide for Papal Visit

D.C. Catholic unveils the Washington Metro Pocket Guide for the Papal Visit.

Washington Catholic School Students compete for Pope Tickets

Students Prepping for Papal Visit: Catholic School Children Highlight Area's Religious History in Video for Pope, by Christy Goodman. March 13, 2008:

If Pope Benedict XVI cannot make it to St. Clement's Island during his April visit to the Washington area, then the children of Southern Maryland's Catholic schools will bring it to him.

Thirty-six students, ranging from kindergartners to eighth-graders, from the dozen Catholic primary schools in St. Mary's, Charles and Calvert counties joined forces last week to create a two-minute video to welcome the pope to the area.

Their tape will compete against videos from other Catholic youth programs and schools throughout the Washington, Baltimore and Arlington archdioceses for a grand prize: 15 tickets to attend the pope's April 17 Mass at the Washington Nationals' baseball stadium. The winning video may be shown on the stadium's big screen. . . . READ MORE

Chicago Tribune: "Pope Benedict Hottest Ticket in Two Towns"

The pope -- hottest ticket in 2 towns, by Manya A. Brachear. Chicago Tribune March 7, 2008:

It doesn't matter to Rev. Charles Fanelli that Pope Benedict XVI lacks the panache of his predecessor John Paul II. The vicar of Christ and pastor of the Catholic world does not need charisma to draw a crowd.

That's why Fanelli, who has seen not one but two of Benedict's predecessors, hopes to be one of the few, the proud and the doggone lucky to win permission to see the pope.

"I admire his teaching so much," said Fanelli, 62, pastor of St. Thomas More parish on the South Side. "He really speaks so well to the Western world. He just hits it right between the eyes. I'm sure he's going to say something very important to the North Americans. It'd be nice to be there when he says it and see how he says it."

For most Catholics, a mass celebrated by the pope is the chance of a lifetime. Since he became pontiff in 2005, Benedict, 80, has traveled mostly in Europe. His only overseas travel was to Brazil last year. That said, the papal visit will likely be his only trip to the U.S. during his papacy.

That has many Catholics still chasing tickets for two of the pope's appearances. . . .

* * *

Susan Gibbs, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese of Washington, said a majority of tickets to Nationals Park have gone to the 140 parishes in Washington and neighboring dioceses in Maryland and Virginia. Other dioceses received tickets based on the number they got from New York and the poignancy of their personal appeals, Gibbs said.

For example, more than 20 faithful from Fargo, N.D., will attend the pope's mass in Nationals Park, among them 16 youth and chaperons from the Ft. Tottem Sioux Indian Reservation who could not raise enough money to travel to Rome or Australia where Pope Benedict XVI will host World Youth Day.

Teresa Hefland of St. Francis Borgia said she looks forward to attending mass with the masses. Though she saw Pope Benedict last year as part of a smaller audience in Rome, she said the crowds will serve to remind the pope's flock of the church's unity. She described the pope as "a magnetic force" that will draw the American faithful together to pray.

"Being with brothers and sisters brings us closer together," she said. "There's no one closer to God than the pope."

Kathy Siniawski of St. Thomas More agreed. To her, it's impossible to separate the power of the pope's presence from the intensity and devotion of the crowds who come to see him.

"We're very blessed to have him as our pope," said Siniawski, who will take medals of St. Thomas More, her parish's namesake and St. Rita, patron saint of impossible cases, to be blessed by Benedict. "We're blessed to have him walk on our land. Blessed that he's coming to New York to bless us all."

Washington Youth to Pope: "See You Soon!"

Youth from the Catholic University of America in the U.S. capital participated in a satellite linkup with Benedict XVI, holding a banner that read "See You Soon!" reports Zenit News Service (March 3, 2008):

The Pope prayed the rosary with university students from 10 European and American cities during the 6th European Day for Universities, held Saturday in Paul VI Hall and linked via satellite to Naples, Italy; Bucharest, Romania; Toledo, Spain; Avignon, France; Minsk, Belarus; Washington D.C.; Mexico City; Havana, Cuba; Aparecida, Brazil; and Loja, Ecuador.

The Pontiff received a greeting from each of the student groups. The banner held by the Washington, D.C. students referred to the Holy Father's upcoming trip to the United States in April: "46 Days and Counting. See You Soon," it read.

In return, Benedict XVI greeted each university and said to the U.S. institution, "Dear university students of Washington, D.C., I send warm greetings to you! With the help of God, I will be in your city in April. With your assistance, may America remain faithful to its Christian roots and to its high ideals of freedom in truth and justice."

Tens of Thousands Anticipate Pope's Visit

Tens of Thousands Await Pope's US Visit, by Karen Mahabir. Associated Press. February 29, 2008:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lori Brown keeps the winning ticket voucher in her purse as a good luck charm, and tells practically everyone she runs into about it.

"It's ridiculous," said Brown, a mother of two from Laurel, Md., recalling how excited she was when her raffle ticket won her a seat at the April Mass that Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate in Washington. "I'm just so out of my skin jumping for joy with this."

Brown is one of tens of thousands of people eagerly awaiting the first visit by a pope to Washington since 1979. The Archdiocese of Washington is distributing about 46,000 tickets for the event, and has set aside 14,000 seats for Catholic dioceses nationwide, archdiocese spokeswoman Susan Gibbs said. [...]

Catholic News Service: "Details on tickets to papal Masses remain sketchy, as deadlines pass"

According to the Catholic News Service, Your chance of getting a ticket to Pope Benedict XVI's April 20 Mass at Yankee Stadium might depend on whether you live in a diocese close to the Archdiocese of New York or in one of the nation's oldest archdioceses. Nancy Frazier O'Brien explains the reason for the "privileged placement" of our nation's eldest dioceses, in an detailed report on the rush for papal mass tickets:

Catholics from three archdioceses that share with the Archdiocese of New York the distinction of marking their 200th anniversary this year will get special treatment at the Yankee Stadium Mass. The archdioceses of Boston, Philadelphia and Louisville, Ky., will be honored at the Mass, along with the nation's first diocese, the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Brian Reynolds, chancellor and chief administrative officer of the Louisville Archdiocese, said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville will concelebrate the Mass with Pope Benedict and the cardinal-archbishops of New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore.

As for distribution within the New York Diocese:

The New York office extended the deadline for dioceses to submit ticket requests until Jan. 15 and said the heads of dioceses would receive information about their ticket allocation during the week of Jan. 21. Each bishop will distribute the tickets "at his discretion," the New York Archdiocese said.

For those living within the New York Archdiocese, tickets will be distributed in the parishes. "Pastors will receive detailed information regarding ticket allocations and distribution by the end of January," the papal visit office said.

The office also is distributing tickets for the pope's April 19 meeting with young people and seminarians at St. Joseph's Seminary in New York. Those will be allocated "through Catholic schools, parish catechetical programs, parish youth groups, seminaries, etc., in the Archdiocese of New York and other dioceses in the immediate New York metropolitan area."

Pope to take Center Field at Nationals Park, Washington

The Canadian Press reports on a change in the outdoor mass in Washington:

WASHINGTON - Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate mass from centre field at the Washington Nationals' new ballpark during his three-day visit to the city in mid-April, officials said.

With thousands of people already requesting tickets to the April 17 event, officials with the Archdiocese of Washington said they wanted as many people as possible to attend the mass. They considered placing the altar in the second base area but realized they could fit in an extra 4,000 seats by putting it in centre field - for a total of 45,000 seats.

The doors will open about 6:30 a.m. for pre-mass activities, including music and videos. The two-hour mass begins at 10 a.m.

Plans for distributing the free tickets have not been announced. Archdiocese officials want to make sure they do not get into the hands of scalpers or wind up on EBay, spokeswoman Susan Gibbs said.

According to the article, the Pope will be transported around in the infamous PopeMobile.

CUA Launches Website Dedicated to Benedict's Visit

Web Site Launched for Pope's April Visit :

The Catholic University of America has launched a Web site dedicated to Benedict XVI's visit to the school in April. . . .

"Even though we're five months away from welcoming the Holy Father to Catholic University, excitement about his upcoming visit is running very high," said university president Father David O'Connell.

"In recognition of this excitement and to satisfy the desire for as much information and transparency as possible, we have created this special Catholic University of America Web site," said the Vincentian priest. "This is our 'first draft.' We will have much more to add as time goes on."

The university's Web site provides information about Benedict XVI's scheduled meeting at the university with the presidents of Catholic colleges and universities and diocesan educational leaders, as well as general information about the historic visit.

Catholic University of America's website can be found at: papalvisit.cua.edu

"Limited Access" to Pope Benedict on U.S. Visit

Catholic News Service' Patricia Zapor has the details on the venues chosen -- and why:

One reason the liturgies with Pope Benedict won't be on the National Mall or in Central Park is simply that neither locale was available, according to communications officials with the Washington and New York archdioceses.

Susan Gibbs, communications director for the Washington Archdiocese, said the pope's visit follows immediately after the city's National Cherry Blossom Festival and the Mall -- the expanse of lawn between the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol -- could not be booked.

For one thing, the National Park Service schedules time for the mall's grassy areas to recover after big events, especially in the spring, Gibbs told Catholic News Service. The time to construct a stage for an altar and the related spaces necessary for staging a Mass concelebrated by hundreds of priests also would have been a problem, she said.

Joseph Zwilling, communications director for the New York Archdiocese, said that "Central Park wasn't an option" for this papal visit. . . .

The cost of a Mass on the Mall would have run into the millions of dollars, Gibbs said. A Washington Post report on the logistics of the 1979 Mass on the Mall estimated the cost to the city and the archdiocese at $1.9 million, or about $4.25 million in 2007 dollars. The archdiocese's share, about $400,000, would translate to more than $1.1 million today.

And those expenses included none of the contemporary security measures that such a Mass would require today, such as metal detectors and fencing to keep out people who haven't been screened.

Both Zwilling and Gibbs acknowledged that security is much easier to handle at a structure like a baseball stadium.