Iraq Veterans reflect on meeting Pope Benedict XVI

Military.com interviews several U.S. marines and Iraqi veterans, attending the Papal Mass at Nationals Park in Washington:

Cpl. Matthew Bridges, who is an outpatient - injured from an improvised explosive device in Iraq - at the National Naval Medical Center, said he felt his faith in God renew as he attended the mass, even though he is not Catholic. He said when he became injured, he thought of God.

Bridges said he didn't know what to think when the pope reached out and shook his hand. It was a feeling he can't describe, he said, because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"I don't know how to explain it," Bridges said. "I have friends who are Catholic that say it's a great blessing to be touched by the pope."

Sgt. James Bane, an administrative assistant in the National Naval Medical Center's Marine Corps Liaison office, said he was honored and privileged to be a part of something so big with a figure that has such a world-wide influence. He said it was uplifting to see so many people from all walks of life taking part in the ceremony.

"I was sitting next to a senator from New Mexico and across the aisle was a group of nuns," Bane said. "Here on one side you have straight politics and on the other side, straight religious. It was neat to have that many people from many different cultures there for the same thing."

Neuhaus on the Nationals Park Mass: "For Benedict, aesthetics is never mere aesthetics"

Fr. Richard J. Neuhaus caused quite a ruckus with his "somewhat critical" remarks about the way Mass was celebrated at Washington National's Park on EWTN. In "Benedict and Beauty" (First Things' "On the Square" April 25, 2008) he responds to his critics:

Where to begin? The matter of taste—or, if you will, aesthetics—enters into it, no doubt. But the problem with the way the liturgy and music was handled is that it focused attention on the gathered people and the performers rather than on what Christ is doing in the Eucharist. It was a display of preening multiculturalism that proclaimed, “Look at us wonderfully diverse people exhibiting our wonderfully diverse talents!” I should add that this was the impression more powerfully conveyed on television, which was what I saw from the broadcast studio. Some people who were in the stadium and participating in the Mass tell me they hardly noticed the sundry musical performances, except as a vague background noise. They were the fortunate ones.

No doubt there are many parishes where people regularly suffer worse than what was perpetrated at Nationals Park. For the most part it was bad music competently performed. But one expects better, one expects much better, at a papal Mass. Especially when the pope is one who has been so very explicit in his views on liturgical and musical practices. ...

To those who dismiss his remarks as a merely aesthetic dispute, Neuhaus cites a strikingly applicable excerpt from Ratzinger's Feast of Faith. He concludes:

I do not wish to be too hard on those who planned the celebration at Nationals Park. It was, sad to say, not unrepresentative of much Catholic worship in our time. The planners and the performers no doubt meant well, but it is worthy of remark that at a papal Mass there was so much that reflected an ignorance of, or defiance of, the very considered views of the pope.

Further Reactions & Commentary on the Washington Mass / Mess

• To all those who protested the music, Vox Nova thinks you're a bunch of sour grapes:

  Of course, for the few hundred grumpy online Catholics full of sour grapes, there is the great multitude of faithful Catholics, who love the Pope, who love the Pope’s coming to America, and have taken in the greatness of such a wonderful event.

  At the mass, one could hear non-Catholic protesters with loudspeakers. They were trying to interrupt the mass. Online, we had Catholic trying to do the same. Since both thought they knew the way of faith greater than the Pope, can someone tell me what separates the two of them?

• "Latin Rite Catholics should be spared from appeals to rank tribalism", says Rich Leonardi (Ten Reasons):

  I'm blessed with an extended family that traces its ancestral roots to at least three continents. The notion that my African-American niece should automatically feel an affinity for Jazz, or my Asian-American sister-in-law ought to perk up over a prayer given in Tagalog, is offensive and condescending. It is no different than a parish worship commission asking me, an Italian-American, if I would like to see a performance of the Tarantella at the next Mass.

• Fr. Rob Johansen (Thrown Back) reigns in some of the more strident protestors (and dispels a few conspiracy theories alog the way):

  Firstly, I was taken aback by the sheer violence and passion of the reaction from the supporters of the Reform of the Reform and Traditional liturgy. I'm not here speaking so much of Shawn Tribe and the people at NLM, nor of Fr. Zuhlsdorf at "What Does the Prayer Really Say?". Their commentary has been measured and quite insightful. No, I am speaking of the many commentors at both sites (Some 300 at NLM alone!). I gathered from many of the comments on the above mentioned sites that people were shocked and surprised by what they saw and heard. I can't see why anyone should have been surprised - the music selected for the Mass was announced almost three weeks ago. I don't get the shock: the organizers of the DC Mass reveled three weeks ago that they intended to present a mish-mash, or, again in Fr. Neuhaus' inimitable words, a "liturgical stew". And that's precisely what they did.

• "Critics vs. the critics of the critics", by the Cranky Conservative:

  I recognized that the music was . . . not good. It didn’t escape my attention. But I am learning as time goes on not to let that sort of thing bother me. We can’t be critics while we’re at Mass. It’s not a performance - it’s Mass. Sure, there are some who seemingly want to make it more of a performance, but those are battles to be fought at other times. Quite frankly I was much more bothered by the idiots shouting into their megaphones about the whore of Babylon than I was by the awkward musical setting of the responsorial psalm. It was much more saddened by the hatred I was hearing outside than the perhaps awkward expressions of love I was hearing inside.

  That said, I can certainly sympathize with the critics, especially those who feel that the musical selections were a complete slap in the face to the Pope. I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt and hope that those who planned the Mass were in no way really trying to “send a message.” We don’t know that the Pope was displeased. I’m sure he knew what to expect. And even though the Pope prefers a more traditional setting - as do I - I’m sure he was and is ecstatic to see so many joy-filled and faithful Catholics joined together. In a world where so much is going wrong, 50,000 people getting together and joining in the Eucharist is an occasion for joy, no matter what might be blaring over the loudspeakers.

  In the long run, liturgy matters. It is not inappropriate to have a discussion about the liturgy and the musical selections and other things which do detract from the full meaning of our liturgy. It’s certainly questionable as to whether multilingual Masses do more to fracture than to unite us. . . .

  I guess this is all a long way of saying that while I was moved and uplifted by the Papal Mass, we can’t ignore the deeper issue of how we celebrate the Holy Eucharist in America. Asking that any discussion be civilized and respectful should go without saying. Sadly, it will probably go without so doing.

Some quick thoughts:

• With regards to how the liturgy ought to be performed and also in terms of the musical selections, we have over a decade of writings from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to draw from, most prominent of which is The Spirit of the Liturgy).
• Certain aspects of the Nationals Park Mass fell far, far short of what the Holy Father probably would have desired (therein lies the motivation for the more reasonable of the complaints).
• As Msgr. Marini indicated last month, while cognisant of what was being done, the Vatican opted to take a "hand's off" approach:

  Early in the planning process for a papal trip, the monsignor said, his office sends the local church a set of guidelines, which is “substantially the same” as the set developed during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II.

  “A few small things were modified to reflect the liturgical attitudes of Pope Benedict,” he said; they include a request that a crucifix be placed on the altar for eucharistic celebrations, that concelebrating priests be as close to the altar as possible and that the offertory gifts be limited to the bread, wine and charitable gifts.

  Msgr. Marini said the Vatican did not dictate the choice of music and hymns for the U.S. liturgies.

  One could speculate as to why Marini chose not to assert more control over what was chosen — in such cases, I think it’s best to relenquish top-down control to those properly delegated at the local level. As Henry points out Benedict did indeed "clap his hands" to one of the performances, but I'm not sure one could posit that this is, indeed, what he would have preferred.

  Fr. Neuhaus sums it up:

  When over the years one has been present at papal events beyond numbering, one inevitably develops a measure of critical distance in which even mildly critical comments can clash with the intense piety of many of the Catholic faithful. Anything short of all-Wow!-all-the-time is taken as a sign of insufficient enthusiasm.

Well -- apart from the music, how was the Mass?

The brief glimpses I had of the Washington Nationals Mass on television before embarking for work didn't offer much in the way of music, but according to Catholic News Service, those who arranged it had the very best of intentions:

The liturgical celebration of Pope Benedict XVI's April 17 Mass in Nationals Park reflected the diversity of Catholic heritages and sensibilities reflected in the Archdiocese of Washington, where the Mass was held.

It acknowledged both the roots of tradition and the branches that have sprouted from those roots

However, I quickly gathered something was wrong when the comments started to pour in on an earlier post from February entitled "Meet Thomas Stehle", music director for the papal mass in Washington:

Shame on you...
Chironomo | 04.17.08 - 11:50 am | #

The sensibilities of the Holy Father are no secret regarding music. Did you purposely attempt to insult him? If so shame on you indeed!
Fr. John | 04.17.08 - 11:56 am | #

The Holy Father's views on sacred music and the liturgy are well-known. I am deeply disappointed that he was subjected to such banal music.
Luke | 04.17.08 - 12:13 pm | #

I feel ill after listening to that travesty that was the music.
Demo | 04.17.08 - 12:48 pm | #

... and so on and so forth. Well, it appears that the worst fears of The New Liturgical Movement were confirmed today. Amy Welborn describes the experience thus in her Open Nationals Stadium Liturgy Thread:

The core problem with this liturgy was that it had such a heavy performance vibe to it. Commenters have called it a “review” and I think that’s apt. I don’t want to make the multiculturalism the center of any critique myself. I don’t think that’s the point. The point is that, for example, after the Holy Father intoned the Doxology at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer, what happened next? A solemnly chanted “Amen” fitting in with what he had just done?

No - we get freakin’ trumpets - the same trumpets that preceded all three of the Mass parts used from the Mass of Creation.

There was a bombastic, almost frenzied sensibility, as various musical styles were pulled in, Cantor A was replaced by Cantor B and every Mass part had to be introduced by overwhelming musical stylings of someone.

I am not sure how, exactly, one could pull of a Mass in a stadium with 50,000 or so people without making it big in this sense. I don’t know if there is a bigness possible that would pull everyone present into the ritual while at the same time respecting the fact that this is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, not Talent Night At St. Hippodrome’s. Someone can, perhaps enlighten me on that score.

(As a Hispanic Catholic added from her combox: "I’m frankly rather tired of finding that everywhere in the US, the only music in Spanish used during Mass sounds like it belongs in a salsa club").

Blogging at The New Liturgical Movement", Jeffrey Tucker described the music as "the end of an era" and pulled no punches in their remarks:

It was to the grave embarrassment of all American Catholics that the music employed at the papal Mass at the Nationals stadium in Washington, D.C., not only represented a repudiation of everything that this pope has written on music appropriate to Mass. We can go further to say that there is no robust tradition of liturgical scholarship that is capable of defending what happened, and that is because it is indefensible. ...

In the name of "multiculturalism," the Pope was subjected to music more suitable to dingy dance halls than Churches. The Psalms of David were distorted to the point of ear-splitting dissonance. The congos, pan flutes, meringue rhythms, the jazz and blues and rock, the swaggering vocals, the puffed-up soloing, went beyond even the most pessimistic predictions.

Indeed, when Marty Haugen's Mass of Creation finally came on at the Sanctus, it was a moment of dignity—so much so that I want to take back all my negative comments back when I thought that this Mass setting was unsuitable for a Papal Mass. I don't think anyone knew before this what the phrase "unsuitable" could really mean.

I personally feel the greatest hurt toward American Catholics of diverse races and ethnicities, who have been quite viciously caricatured here. How wounded they must personally feel by this presentation done in their name.

If anything, today's experience was a vindication of Cardinal Ratzinger's call for "a new Liturgical Movement." The post -- worth reading in full -- concludes with a "call to arms" from Pope Benedict XVI himself:

When the community of faith, the world-wide unity of the Church and her history, and the mystery of the living Christ are no longer visible in the liturgy, where else, then, is the Church to become visible in her spiritual essence? Then the community is celebrating only itself, an activity that is utterly fruitless. And, because the ecclesial community cannot have its origin from itself but emerges as a unity only from the Lord, through faith, such circumstances will inexorably result in a disintegration into sectarian parties of all kinds - partisan opposition within a Church tearing herself apart. This is why we need a new Liturgical Movement, which will call to life the real heritage of the Second Vatican Council.

More from Fr. John Zuhlsdorf; Fr. Ray Blake ("How blessed one is being a priest, I would be tempted to lapse inside a year if I had to endure this stuff week after week, how the laity are tortured by the clergy!"); Carl Olson (who adds: "Yet another reason I am thankful to be able to attend a Byzantine Catholic parish. We don't have fights about who plays guitar, or how many people should be in the orchestra. There are no instruments").

Catholic Conservation invites his readers to express their sentiments to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (via their own blog) concerning the music selections for the Papal Mass in Washington, DC -- but it may be in vain:

There is no question that anger, even fury, is palpable. The USCCB has been deleting comments from its own website. Fr. Richard J. Neuhaus, in his running commentary on EWTN, expressed astonishment. The blogs are overflowing with bitter comments...

Not everybody's complaining, however:

what a splendid event this was — great music, faultless presentation. Fabulous, cool weather and sunny skies didn't hurt, either.

And in the midst of a baseball field at that. The pitcher's mound was demurely enclosed by a white fence; home plate was covered by the archdiocesan shield.

The one blot: Coffee was either not ready at the concession stands or they ran out early.

* * *

Amy Welborn reigns in the combox critics with some sage advice:

1) We should, as much as we can, drawing on the Holy Spirit, resist the temptation to view the Mass from a critic’s standpoint. It is destructive. No one knows this better than those involved in Church ministry, and not only liturgical ministers. It is a temptation for anyone whose relationship with the Church, the parish or the diocese is that of employee or professional volunteer. We evaluate, we judge, we have meetings afterwards in which we assess. ...

2) HOWEVER. Despite that - and with that constantly in mind, it is fine to spend time evaluating a liturgy. To do so in charity, respectful of persons and the work they put into the event, to be sure. But the Mass is not anything. It is Something. And the form of the Mass should express that Something as much as humanly possible. There is a degree of subjectivity involved, but actually not as much as we might think. Particularly in this case, when we have a pope who has written extensively on liturgy, whose views are well-known, and whose liturgical priorities as pope are also no secret. It is fair to compare what happened today with the principles of Catholic liturgy as well as the Pope’s own writing. That’s fair. ...

So keeping all of those realities in balance, I think it is fine to discuss a liturgy like this as long as we don’t let it dominate our sense of the event, overwhelming the Pope’s own call to unity in the Church for the sake of a more powerful, Christ-centered presence in the world.

Homework

• Music and the Liturgy Joseph Ratzinger | From The Spirit of the Liturgy
• Cardinal Ratzinger on Liturgical Music | Michael J. Miller (July 2000; Homiletic & Pastoral Review

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Mass at Nationals Park in Washington, April 17, 2008. (Reuters)

Pope Benedict XVI's Mass at Nationals Park

What's Happening Today: Thursday, April 17
10:00 a.m. - Mass at Nationals Park
NOTE: This post will be updated as more information becomes available on this topic.

The Pope will celebrate Mass at the new Nationals Park in Washington. This will be the first non-baseball event in the park, which opened March 31.

• 6:00 a.m. - Gates open; pre-Mass program begins
• 6:30 a.m. - Confessionals open
• 8:30 a.m. - The procession of clergy begins
• 9:30 a.m. - The Pope arrives at the stadium
• 9:35 a.m. - The Pope travels around the track inside the stadium in the popemobile
• 10:00 a.m. - Mass begins
• 12:00 noon - Mass ends; concession stands open
• 2:00 p.m. - All concession stands close

Pope Benedict XVI's homily at Washington Nationals Park Mass, via the USCCB:

... In the exercise of my ministry as the Successor of Peter, I have come to America to confirm you, my brothers and sisters, in the faith of the Apostles (cf. Lk 22:32). I have come to proclaim anew, as Peter proclaimed on the day of Pentecost, that Jesus Christ is Lord and Messiah, risen from the dead, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father, and established as judge of the living and the dead (cf. Acts 2:14ff.). I have come to repeat the Apostle's urgent call to conversion and the forgiveness of sins, and to implore from the Lord a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church in this country. As we have heard throughout this Easter season, the Church was born of the Spirit's gift of repentance and faith in the risen Lord. In every age she is impelled by the same Spirit to bring to men and women of every race, language and people (cf. Rev 5:9) the good news of our reconciliation with God in Christ.

The readings of today's Mass invite us to consider the growth of the Church in America as one chapter in the greater story of the Church's expansion following the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. In those readings we see the inseparable link between the risen Lord, the gift of the Spirit for the forgiveness of sins, and the mystery of the Church. Christ established his Church on the foundation of the Apostles (cf. Rev 21:14) as a visible, structured community which is at the same time a spiritual communion, a mystical body enlivened by the Spirit's manifold gifts, and the sacrament of salvation for all humanity (cf. Lumen Gentium, 8). In every time and place, the Church is called to grow in unity through constant conversion to Christ, whose saving work is proclaimed by the Successors of the Apostles and celebrated in the sacraments. This unity, in turn, gives rise to an unceasing missionary outreach, as the Spirit spurs believers to proclaim "the great works of God" and to invite all people to enter the community of those saved by the blood of Christ and granted new life in his Spirit.

I pray, then, that this significant anniversary in the life of the Church in the United States, and the presence of the Successor of Peter in your midst, will be an occasion for all Catholics to reaffirm their unity in the apostolic faith, to offer their contemporaries a convincing account of the hope which inspires them (cf. 1 Pet 3:15), and to be renewed in missionary zeal for the extension of God's Kingdom. ...

Coverage

• Nats' New Cathedral to Baseball Prepares for Pontiff, by Daniel LeDuc and Mary Beth Sheridan. Washington Post April 15, 2008 - on the preparations:

  The transformation of Nationals Park into an open-air church for a Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI began [Monday], with workers installing hundreds of thousands of square feet of flooring over the Kentucky bluegrass outfield. ...

• Nationals Park Fills With Thousands of Pope Fans, by Petula Dvorak, Jacqui Salmon and Michael Ruane. Washington Post:

  Thousands of people converged on the stadium before daylight today, a crowd as frenetic and giddy as the one assembled for the stadium's opening three weeks ago.

  By 6 a.m., long lines were already building at the entrance as hundreds of people poured out of the Metro station and through tight security. There were 25 metal detectors beeping and chirping, as bags were searched and metal-detecting wands were passed over people's bodies.

  The Metro disgorged streams of worshipers, many wearing commemorative black hats that read "Christ Our Hope" or carried the colors of their Catholic school. There were priests and nuns in their various vestments. Vendors were selling papal flags, hats and bumper stickers. There were people with tickets and those without, including one man whose written plea was held aloft on a sign: "Need one miracle."

  More than 46,000 people are expected at today's service, requiring 300 Ushers and 300 Eucharistic ministers to serve communion. The pope will be accompanied by 14 cardinals, 250 bishops and 1,300 priests.

• The Nationals Park Mass: Ongoing Coverage and Commentary @ The New Liturgical Movement, by Gregor Kollmorgen:

  I would like to repeat Shawn's call for expectation management, especially since from what we have heard so far, and in comparison to yesterday's outstanding Vespers liturgy, at today's Mass there are bound to be elements which, for reasons extensively discussed in the last weeks, may seem disappointing from a reform-of-the-reform perspective. The NLM, however, will as always focus on those elements which can be understood as helping push forward one or another aspect of Benedict's programme for liturgical reform in continuity. I would encourage commenters to do likewise, but in any case, and as ever, to "criticize principles, not people; be discriminating, not nitpicking; be academic, not acerbic; be principled, not polemical" ...

• Politicization of the Eucharist? - Nancy Pelosi and John kerry, two of the nations' most notorious, obstinately-defiant "pro-choice Catholics" receive communion at the Nationals Mass. As Jay Anderson (Pro Ecclesia) remarks:

  I am particularly unconcerned about whether these politicians receiving Communion during a Papal Mass is a "public relations coup of the highest order for the Democrat Party". Who cares which party is benefited by such things? Partisan politics is completely irrelevant in such a matter. ...

  I'm more concerned about whether public reception of Communion by those who publicly dissent from Church teaching provides an occasion for scandal to the faithful, and creates the impression that the Church's teachings are "optional" - that, as one commenter at InsideCatholic puts it, "one can [publicly] dissent from the Magisterium teaching on abortion and other issues, and still remain in good standing with the Church."

Benedict celebrates mass at Nationals Park, Washington
Source: Catholic Herald [UK]

• "I guess you had to be there" - Wheat and Weeds has an excellent account of her experiences:

  What an uplifting morning. We Christians like to talk about re-claiming the world for Christ, but there's nothing like a Papal Mass in an unexpected place for making you feel such a thing is possible. If you've never been, there's an infectious spirit in the crowd that begins even before you enter the venue. It's in the subways as you approach: the smiles of recognition among the folks mass-bound (the crucifixes or Benedict shirts & buttons give it away); the amazed looks from regular commuters who feel themselves invaded by people who smile, people who thank the transit police for their assistance, people who yield their seats to the handicapped, people who seem happy. It's in the stadium, where you run into your friends everywhere; and there's a huge tent where 50-some priests are hearing confession after confession for the three hours before Mass begins; and all these beautiful young people are around reminding you that the Church is young, as Cardinal Ratzinger told us at JPG's funeral; and there are scads of young priests of course; and nuns, beautiful nuns, nuns in real habits -- blue nuns, white nuns, brown nuns, red nuns, everywhere young nuns with the most radiant smiles you've ever seen. Take one look at a nun and you know immediately whether she's of the sour "spirit of Vatican II" variety or if she's "got it" --and the nuns at the papal masses all "got it." Audacity of hope? Got it right here, pal, everywhere you look, at least for these few hours.

  and the music -- about which there have been a considerable amount of complaints:

  However, I'd ask people to bear in mind that some things necessary for a stadium mass may not come across on tv, where close-ups give a false appearance of intimacy. I've read at papal events, and the echo and re-verb are so bad you simply have to speak very slowly and dramatically in order to be understood; and there absolutely must be a cantor directing people or all the parts of the mass will descend into canon form because the sound of the first note hits different parts of the stadium at different times. Some folks are saying the mass was too self-consciously "diverse." Perhaps. Our chancery office and the USCCB staff certainly suffer from diversity disease. On the other hand, the Archdiocese of Washington is majority Hispanic now, and Washington, DC, the host city, is majority black. Anyway, I don't want to get into the liturgical questions right now. I'll simply say that Mr. W. is a traditionalist with a capital "T," and he wasn't offended (not to say thrilled, but thought on the whole it turned out better than he might have expected). However it played on television, in the pews, we were moved by and attentive to the mass, and there was a definite rapport between the crowd and the Holy Father.

• The Papal Mass in DC: A pictoral journey", by Morning's Minion @ Vox Nova. A great selection of on-the-ground photos.
• Pope leaves 46,000 happy (and sunburned!) Catholics, by Thomas Peters American Papist April 18, 2008.

What? -- No Beer?

Jacqueline L. Salmon Washington Post's PopeWatch reports on the preparations for the Nationals Park Mass:

As explained by Archbishop of Washington Donald W. Wuerl yesterday afternoon, the pontiff will enter the park via right field, and, at 9:30 a.m., do a lap of the field in the popemobile.

Then he'll exit, change into vestments for the Mass and re-emerge.

This afternoon, workers were covering the field and starting to erect the stage, which is in the centerfield area. (In other words, if you ended up with tickets behind home plate, you're kind of far away from the action, unlike a Nats' game.)

Wuerl vows that everything will be ready.

Advertising (even the big stuff flanking the jumbotron) will be covered up and, no, of course they won't be selling beer on Thursday. ...

Photopost: Washington DC baseball stadium prepares for the papal Mass @ American Papist.

Papal Goody Bags!

According to Jacqueline L. Salmon (Washington Post's Popewatch), if you're attending the papal Mass at Nationals Park on April 17, you'll get a gift bag when you arrive:

It will contain the Mass program, the Magnificat (daily prayers and daily Mass readings) and a Vatican flag. Our guess is that a lot of flag-waving will result.

And if you're sitting on the baseball field, you get even more stuff.

First Glimpse at the Washington National's Stage

Pope2008 offers a first glimpse at what the stage will look like at Nationals Park, with an artist's rendering of the stage provided by Showcall, the producers for the Mass.

Preparing for the Papal Visit (Roundup)

• Xaverian Catholic High School Band Gears Up To Play For Pope At JFK New York 1. April 3, 2008:

  It was the Brooklyn Archdiocese that selected Xaverian to participate in the papal festivities. The all-boy Catholic high school has an extensive music program with more than a quarter of its student body involved with either musical instruments or vocals. To perform for the pope, however, only 46 were chosen. The director says he had to pick the most talented and dedicated, including saxophone player Anthony Rodriguez.

  "My family is excited,” says Rodriguez. “They would never expect something like this like when I started playing in sixth grade they were like you're never going to reach that level. Nobody would expect something this big of a little thing like playing a sax."

• GEP Washington, the DC area’s top Destination Management Company, has been selected as the logistics management team for Pope Benedict XVI’s public Mass at Nationals Park in Washington, DC:

  In addition to logistics management, GEP Washington will also provide transportation for the Papal entourage; develop and operate a shuttle system to and from the ballpark for attendees; assist with design and décor; custom development of give-aways; coordinate staffing; and various other elements for the Mass.

• Deacon Carpenter Builds the Altar for Papal Mass in Washington, D.C., by Mark Zimmerman. Catholic Online. April 3, 2006:

  POOLESVILLE, MD (CNS) - For Deacon Dave Cahoon, working at his St. Joseph's Carpentry Shop on a quiet country road in Poolesville, this year's Holy Week was one like no other.

  "How awesome is this? It's Holy Thursday, and I'm working on the altar for the Eucharist, for the papal Mass. How awesome is that?" he said, smiling.

  With a hammer and chisel, the carpenter worked on a long maple board for the base of the altar that Pope Benedict XVI will use for his April 17 Mass at Nationals Park in Washington. . . .

• Newsday interviews Tom Baker of Patrick Baker & Sons Inc., of Southington, which will be supplying candles, vestments and other items for the pope's Masses in New York. Baker also supplied items for Pope John Paul II's visit in 1995, and will have the privilege of attending a smaller mass with the Pope in a chapel.

  Baker & Sons has done extensive work at St. Patrick's and at other Catholic churches in the Northeast, including renovations to bring sanctuaries into compliance with the Vatican II liturgical reforms enacted in the 1960s. Among those renovated sanctuaries were those at Most Holy Trinity Church in Wallingford and Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Woodbridge.

  "They did a fine job on both churches," the Rev. Gene Gianelli, former pastor of Holy Trinity, told the Record-Journal in 1995. "The Bakers are very sensitive to Vatican II."

  "Sensitive to Vatican II" how, exactly? -- A strange turn of phrase.

• "Crafting a perch fit for a pope" Philadelphia Enquirer March 30, 2008. Bonnie Cook reports on the creation of a chair for the Pope by Philadelphia craftsmen, to be used during his visit to Washington:

  The chair, which sits in the back of the DiCocco Family's St. Jude Shop in Havertown, where it was designed, can still be seen by the public.

  After Wednesday, though, the chair will leave the shop and become, for reasons of security, a ward of the U.S. Secret Service.

  "I hope they're careful with it," said John Huprich, who carried out the project in his Perkasie wood shop. "We don't want any nicks."

  The chair is scheduled to resurface April 16 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The pontiff will sit on it as he greets close to 400 Catholic bishops in the nation's capital.

  After that, the chair will be displayed in the basilica as a relic of the pope's visit, said Msgr. Walter Rossi, the basilica's rector. No one else will likely ever use it.

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.

Washington Mass tickets printed, awaiting distribution

(Via PopeWatch), an update regarding tickets to the Washington Nationals Mass:

If you have been informed that you've gotten tickets to the papal Mass at Nationals Park on April 17, you should receive the actual ticket fairly shortly.

The papal Mass tickets have arrived at the offices of the archdiocese of Washington and will be shipped to parishes and diocese next week, according to archdiocese spokesperson Susan Gibbs. From there, they will be distributed to individuals.

The archdiocese has set up a wait list site. Gibbs said that so far they have received 1,000 requests at the site for 3,000 tickets.

Related

• "I'll Trade You Two Pope Tickets for....." PopeWatch March 28, 2008.

Washington choir members audition for "performance of a lifetime"

While Americans have their television sets tuned to American Idol, choir members from Washington Catholic parishes are auditioning for the performance of their lives - Meghan Tierney reports from the Maryland Gazette:

The 250-member Archdiocesan Papal Mass Choir set to perform at Pope Benedict XVI’s April 17 Mass includes two members from Mother Seton Parish in Germantown, according to Kathy Dempsey, assistant director of communications for the Archdiocese of Washington. With the exception of 13 singers from the Arlington Archdiocesan Choir, the members all hail from 83 parishes in the Archdiocese of Washington, which includes Washington, D.C., and five Maryland counties. . . .

Two members of Mother Seton Parish will represent Germantown. Gaithersburg churches are also well represented, with 10 members from St. Rose of Lima, six from St. John Neumann and one from St. Martin of Tours.

About 560 people attended last month’s auditions, which were only open to singers involved with music ministry in the church, Dempsey said.

[...]

‘‘I’ve never auditioned for anything in my life, so I was scared to death,” said Linda May, 60, of Laytonsville. ‘‘...It’s beyond excitement. It’s awesome, it’s such a thrill. I’m a convert to Catholicism, so to be able to sing for the pope, it’s a shock.”

May, a legal secretary at a Gaithersburg law firm, converted in 1987, three years after she joined St. John Neumann’s choir.

She auditioned for the Papal Mass Choir at urging of her music director in Gaithersburg, Mary Lu Hartsell, who also won a spot.

According to the article, about 45,000 people are expected to attend the Washington Nationals stadium mass.

South Jersey's contributions to the Papal Visit

"Pope's D.C. Mass to have S.J. touch", says the South Jersey Courier-Post. The paper profiles A. Blayne Candy, co-founder of the firm that will be producing the ceremony in Washington, along with fellow South Jersey Bishop Joseph Galante, spiritual leader of the Camden Diocese, who is expected to share the alter with Benedict:

. . . Candy says his 7-year-old firm has produced shows as varied as rock concerts and White House conferences.

"The scale of it is something we're used to," the Washington, D.C., resident says of the Papal Mass. Still, he added, "A visit of a pope is a big deal. And it's probably a bigger deal to a guy who was raised Catholic and went to Catholic schools."

Candy's education led to his occupation.

After attending Christ the King elementary school in Haddonfield and St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia, the producer studied psychology at Loyola University in Baltimore. A work-study job put him in Loyola's special events department, and Candy had found his calling.

"It's been an absolutely terrific ride," says the producer, whose job has taken him to China and Spain and on the campaign trail with President Bush.

At the Papal Mass, he says, "We'll be taking care of the overall production, all of the lighting, the sound, the stage, the design."

Related:

• Showcall Inc Selected as Event Producer for Pope Benedict XVI's Mass at Washington Nationals Baseball Stadium PRWeb.com January 30, 2008.

The Washington Post contains a breakdown of papal ticket distribution to the Archdiocese:

• More than 100,000 requests have been submitted to the Archdiocese of Washington for tickets to Pope Benedict XVI's Mass in the District on April 17. Dioceses across the country were told how many tickets each parish would get at the end of last month.
• Nearly 45,000 seats are available for the Mass, which will be at the new Nationals Park.
• About 16,000 tickets will go to 148 parishes and missions in the archdiocese,
• Nearly 13,000 tickets will go to clergy, Catholic high schools and campus ministries in the Archdiocese of Washington, Catholic organizations, volunteers and others.

Parishes are distributing tickets through free lotteries, letter submissions and other methods. Some parishes are asking those interested to write letters saying why they would like a ticket. Tickets are free, non-replaceable and may not be sold. For details, visit http://www.adw.org/papalvisit.

Tom Stehle, "D.C.'s Music Man"

Tim Drake of the National Catholic Register catches up with Tom Stehle, the pastoral associate for liturgy and music at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church in Potomac, MD -- and currently serving as the director of music for the Papal Mass in Washington, DC.

CUA Students Design Alter, Pulpit, Lecturn & Chair for Papal Mass

Two Catholic University graduate students won a competition to design the alter and chair for Pope Benedict XVI's papal mass in Washington (Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post January 29, 2008):

Twenty-one teams of students entered the university's competition to design the altar, pulpit, lectern and chair to be used in the Mass. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the service.

The design, by John-Paul Mikolajczyk, 23, of Staten Island, N.Y., and Ryan Mullen, 24, of Manchester, N.H., uses a pattern of overlapping arches that is repeated on all the pieces, including the altar's base. The students, master's degree candidates at Catholic University's School of Architecture and Planning, said they were inspired by time they spent at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which is adjacent to the campus, according to the university's public affairs office.

The chair has a very tall back with the papal coat of arms. The front of the pulpit, from where the pope will read, features images from the Bible.

Photo credit: Tony Fiorini, CUA - "Ryan Mullen and John-Paul Mikolajczjk and their winning papal design."

SILive.com has a profile of Mikolajczyk:

"It's pretty big," Mikolajczyk said earlier today. "It hasn't really sunk in yet, and I kind of like that it hasn't because that lets me stay focused on the work."

The next step is "design development," as he and his partner, working with architecture faculty and representatives of the Archdiocese of Washington, take a critical look at comments from the contest jury before beginning the actual construction. [...]

Back home on Staten Island, his parents, Zdzislaw (Jim) and Loretta Mikolajczyk, didn't even know about the contest until their son called Monday night with news that he'd won.

"This is such an honor for him," Mrs. Mikolajczyk said. "This was his own accomplishment."

The graduate of St. Rita's School in Meiers Corners and a 2002 alumnus of Monsignor Farrell High School did his undergraduate work in philosophy at Catholic University. His mother said his decision to apply for the school's graduate program in architecture was a bit of a surprise but not that much of a stretch.

"He was always constructing things," she said. "He never spoke about it, it was just innate."

Mikolajczyk, a parishioner of St. Adalbert's R.C. Church in Elm Park, doesn't think his winning design will guarantee him an audience with the pope.

"It's not like we spearheaded the ecumenical movement," he said. "But it should be some help in getting tickets to the mass."

If he does meet Pope Benedict, he'll help solidify a family tradition: His mother met a Polish cardinal visiting her Brooklyn parish in the 1970s. That cardinal went on to become Pope John Paul II, in whose honor her son was named.

Thomas Peters (American Papist) toured the exhibit and has exclusive photographs of the chosen models for the pulpit, lecturn and chair for Benedict's public mass in Washington.

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.

New details emerge for getting Papal Mass tickets

Catholic News Service has provided us with the latest update:

Pretty much the only chances the general public will have will be at Masses at the Washington Nationals' new baseball stadium, with a capacity of about 45,000, and Yankee Stadium in New York, which has a capacity of perhaps 65,000.

The youths and seminarians rally at New York's St. Joseph's Seminary also is listed as a public event, but Joseph Zwilling, communications director for the New York Archdiocese, told Catholic News Service the 15,000 to 20,000 spots will be filled primarily with people from the New York region and some of the approximately 5,000 seminarians in the country.

... Also yet to be decided in both cities is whether the pope will have a motorcade route where people may line up for a chance to see him, said Zwilling and Gibbs.

More information will be made available after January 1st at the Web sites of the Archdiocese of Washington and the Archdiocese of New York. Also check back here for the latest updates.