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During his first trip to the United States as Pope, Benedict XVI logged many miles by car, plane, helicopter and popemobile. He greeted hundreds of thousands with waves, handshakes, Masses and speeches.
The former Cardinal Ratzinger, who celebrated his 81st birthday during his visit, also celebrated his third anniversary as the leader of the Catholic Church (April 18, 2008). His visit made international, national and local news for days before, during and after his trip – giving unprecedented visibility to the Catholic Church in the United States.
In an interview at the Vatican on his way to the United States on April 15, Pope Benedict XVI cited two major reasons for his historic visit to America. He would recognize the five archdioceses celebrating their 200th anniversaries: New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Boston and the elevation of Baltimore to an archdiocese. The second goal was to visit the United Nations as it marks 60 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.“
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This visit, which is taking place precisely at the moment of a crisis in values,” he said in the Vatican’s interview, “therefore seems to me to be important in order to reconfirm together that everything began at that moment and to recover it for our future.”
The view from the Erie Diocese
The moment the dates and events of Pope Benedict XVI’s apostolic visit to America were announced, the phone in the Chancery of the Erie Diocese began ringing. Requests for tickets came from a wide array of people: youth ministers, priests, families and parishes. After Christmas, the Archdioceses of Washington, DC and New York—sharing hosting duties during the 6 days the Holy Father would be in the United States—finally began sharing information about participation in the events.
For the Erie Diocese, the options were limited. Washington extended a mere handful of invitations including one to Bishop Trautman, and 7 others to priests, mostly involved in education. New York gave the diocese 250 tickets to Mass at Yankee Stadium, and so the diocese parceled out the tickets on a first come, first served basis, doing its best to give out at least half the tickets requested to each person or group who requested them.
The seminarians of the diocese traveled by train to New York, where they enjoyed participating in a rally for seminarians and youth at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. Senior Patrick Wiler said the rally was everything he expected and more.
“I thought that the Holy Father’s message was really good, “ he said. “He told us we need to face the challenges of today with prayer, liturgy and apostolic works. He gave us a lot of ammunition!”
Wiler said “it was cool to be around people that are in it with you, committed to the same thing you are,” estimating that more than one thousand seminarians were in attendance. “There was a lot of hope,” he said.
Also at the stadium were members of the Our Lady of Peace Senior High Youth Group, chaperoned by Father Bill Barron, who heard the kids’ confessions in the stadium just before Mass. A few bystanders decided to take advantage of the opportunity as well.
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“That was great,” said Father Bill. “It’s good to do Christ’s work, even at Yankee Stadium, I guess,” he said with a laugh. The students were pumped about the trip, according to Father Bill. “Just being in New York City was exciting for the kids. They’re ready, they’re here for the right reason,” he observed, about an hour before the Mass was scheduled to begin.
Father Bill said it was good for the students to see the pope, but that the trip was about more than that experience. “The pope leads us to Christ,” he said, “and that’s the point.”
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The Erie Diocese made a unique contribution to the papal visit as Msgr. Tom McSweeney, director of Evangelization for Communications and Public Relations, was invited to serve as a commentator for MSNBC throughout the week. From the moment Shepherd One landed at Air Force Andrew Base in Washington, until the pope and his entourage flew out of New York City six days later, Msgr. McSweeney provided insight and background information to viewers across America.
Matthew Strickenberger, a native of Oil City who is studying for the priesthood at St. Marys Seminary and University in Baltimore, had the honor of serving Mass at Yankee Stadium. He generously agreed to write a lengthy reflection on his experiences at several papal events (see link at top of this page). It was a life-affirming event in Matt’s life and made an impact that will stay with him throughout his journey to the priesthood and beyond.
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Father Ted Marconi, pastor of St. Leo Magnus Parish in Ridgway, happens to be friends with a couple whose friend works at the White House, and so managed to secure an invitation to the event held on the south lawn of the White House, when the Pope met with President George W. Bush.
“It was an amazing experience,” he says. “To be there with the President, the First Lady, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House, Supreme Court Justices…and everyone was there to see the Pope, the leader of the Catholic Church.” Father Ted said it was evident the pope was delighted to be there, and that the remarks both the Pope and the President shared were from the heart.
Look for a full report on the messages Pope Benedict brought to America, as well as the reactions and experiences of pilgrims from the Erie Diocese, in the July/August issue of Faith magazine.
