By VANESSA LANGDON
News Editor
and
JUSTIN PORRECA
News Editor
Pope Francis will be visiting the United States for the first time next week. He will be making stops in Washington, D.C., New York City and Philadelphia. Three Chronicle editors will be there to experience three separate events during his D.C. visit.
Other members of the Pine Hills neighborhood will be attending events during the Papal visit.
Bishop Scharfenberger of the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Albany will be attending the events in D.C. He is currently in D.C. for meetings in preparation of the Pope’s visit.
Director of Communications for the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Albany, Mary DeTurris Poust, will be attending and is media credentialed for the papal visit in New York City.
The Dioceses has 200 tickets for parishioners from 126 parishes. One parishioner per parish will get a ticket. In addition to those parishioners, on Sept. 15 the Diocese will be holding a lottery to choose 50 lucky youth to attend the Mass at Madison Square Garden.
“We are glad that we got the 200 tickets,” said Poust. “This is an event as you would know so many people, Catholics and non-Catholics, want a chance to see Pope Francis.”
Poust is grateful that those unable to attend the events can rely on the media to provide accurate accounts.
“I think it’s fantastic that the College of Saint Rose will have people there,” she said.
Poust is still gathering information among the parishes in the dioceses if a viewing party will be arranged for those who wish to watch the papal events in D.C. and New York City.
The anticipation is mounting for the Pope’s visit.
“There is something about this visit, having him come here, that takes it to another level,” Poust said.
Coordinator of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry, Kelly Hession, will also be attending the New York City portion of the Papal events and is ecstatic about his visit.
“I am thrilled that the leader of our Church and the most visible representative of our faith will be here to celebrate Mass, meet with the leaders of our country and spread his message of love and mercy.”
Saint Rose religious studies professor Jeffrey Marlett equated the Pope to a rock star.
“I personally am a very devoted Pope Francis fan,” Marlett said.
He converted to Catholicism after graduating from college and has since had two encounters with past Popes, John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
“I saw Pope Benedict XVI in October 2012 and the place erupted, and Pope Francis is even more popular,” Marlett said.
Attending any papal visit is a chaotic event featuring “mosh pits” filled with people from all walks of life. The United States hasn’t seen anything quite like this since the British Invasion of the Beatles.
This is the tenth time that a Pope has visited the United States since the 1960s.
Pope Benedict XVI visited the United States one time during his seven-year papacy. Pope John Paul II was Pope for 26 years and came no more than five times.
“This might be the only time Francis comes to the United States,” said Marlett. “He will be 78 this December and does watch his travel schedule. Travel for anyone that age is difficult.”
Pope Francis will be the fourth Pope to visit the United States, and Obama will be the fifth president to receive a papal visit.
Marlett uses Pope Francis as an example of the respect that should be shown to humanity.
“The Pope always wants to remind folks that you have to reach outside yourself and help and be merciful, which is not always easy.”
Pope Francis has a devout following of Catholics and non-Catholics alike, eerily reminiscent of a cult following.
Marlett not only wants to speak with the Pope, but wants to have a sit-down dinner.
“It would be nice to have dinner and a glass of wine with the Pope. After Saint Francis, Holy Father, who else inspires you from the traditions of the church? Who else inspires you – I think it would take a long time to tease all that out.”
Poust is eagerly awaiting the Pope’s arrival.
“I’ve told the head of our media contingent, can you just make sure I’m in his presence once,” she said. “I don’t care if I’m in a press box if that’s how I have to see him, but I just want to be in his presence and I think that’s how so many people feel.”
Pope Francis arrives in the Capital on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at Joint Base Andrews at 4 p.m.
The first public event is the welcoming ceremony with President Obama at 9:15 a.m. The Holy Father will then hold a midday prayer with U.S. bishops at Saint Matthew’s Cathedral. The final event of the day is the Junipero Serra Canonization mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at 4:15 p.m.
He will be speaking in front of a joint session of Congress at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24 before going on to a brief appearance at the West Front of the Capitol at 11 a.m. His final event in D.C. is a visit to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Washington and Catholic Charities of the Archdioceses of Washington. He will then head to New York City at 5 p.m.
“I think it’s great that the college is providing an opportunity for some students to go, and in the future if the Pope comes back it would be great to see more Saint Rose students go see the Holy Father,” Marlett said.
