The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops would like to invite you to join in on the discussion of Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to the United States, April 15-20. We will not be able to post every comment but will certainly post as many as we can. So, give us your thoughts on the papal visit or experiences and anecdotes from past papal trips to the U.S.
I live in Pennsylvania and have followed the details of this upcoming visit since it was announced. I am hopefully receiving a ticket to the Divine Liturgy (Mass) that the Holy Father will celebrate in Washington, DC. As a former catechist, I have found the educational sources wonderful and have given the site to my parish priest to encourage instruction on role of “Peter”.
Thank you for giving us this opportunity. Your sister in Christ.
Back in 1979 i was a 14 year old girl living North of Boston. I was completely captivated by His Holiness Pope John Paul II and nearly exploded when i heard he would be coming to Boston. It was raining cats and dogs and i remember trying to get a spot on the Boston Common which was jam packed, then running as quick as i could when i learned the ‘Popemobile’ would be coming by us near the North End.
I stood on a super crowded curb on Hanover street, and like a flash of White Light, the Holy Father zoom passed me while waving. Unfortunately JUST as he came in view he turned his head to face and wave to the other side of the street..so i only saw the back of his head…but NOTHING in my life until the birth of my first child was as earth shattering for me. I will never forget it.
Fast forward to the recent news of Pope Benedict’s visit. My husband, a devout Jew (though we are married in the Catholic Church!) suggested i fill out the parish form which would enter me in a drawing to see the Papal Mass in DC. I had seen the news programs with all these people, far more deserving who would do pretty much anything to participate at the Mass. I didn’t want to fill out the form. My husband did it for me and just yesterday i received the call from our rectory at Our Lady of Angels in Woodbridge, VA that my name was drawn.
You could have knocked me over with a feather. I have been so excited that i can’t even begin to describe my joy…and the joy that my husband and 5 year old daughter feel for me. i am the luckiest woman i know.
My life has not been an easy one, and i have experienced very difficult losses, but through it all the Catholic Church and my gift of Faith has always helped me get through. I lost my first husband to brain cancer and my son with my new husband died just before Christmas 2003 during his birth.
I plan to offer the Papal Mass in thanksgiving for all the blessings i have been given. I also hope that i will be able to get some good photographs as i am a photographer by trade. It is my hope to report back here to the blog and share with all of you anything that i have.
Thank you.
Mexico.
Feliz cumpleaños Santo Padre, desde México.
Uniendome a los católicos “Una Voce” de Mëxico y Estados Unidos le abrazamos, considerenos sus hijos, le juramos obediencia y le pedimos su bendición
English Translation:
Happy Birthday, Holy Father, from Mexico,
United in one voice with the Catholics of Mexico and the United States, we embrace you, consider us your children, we swear obedience to you and we ask you for your blessing.
Pedro Rodríguez Ocampo.
ppedror1o@gmail.com
Wow! Nice Blog! I am very sure that not only people from US will be connected in your celebration but also us from the far orient – Philippines. I personally pray for your fruitful meeting with the Holy Father.
Viva Il Papa!!!
This is so excting! My husband has called me a “Pope Groupie” because I went to WYD in Denver in ’93 and NY/NJ in ’95. Just love the Holy Catholic Church and Our Dear Holy Fathers.
It was a thrill to go to Newark Airport where Shepherd One landed and hand deliver a prayer effort called Mary Encounter to Pope John Paul II.
If any of your viewers would like to participate in the same prayer effort for Pope Benedict XVI ~ it would be a great BIRTHDAY GIFT for him on APRIL 16th ~ feel free to check out the website: http://www.maryencounter.com.
God bless you, Pope Benedict XVI!
In September 1987, I received my honorable discharge from the United States Navy and returned home to Michigan. Waiting for me was a ticket to attend Mass at the Pontiac Silverdome on September 19th. The celebrant was Pope John Paul II. It was my Mother who had made the plans to attend and who included me, her first born son. At that time I was a Catholic in name only simply to honor my parent’s desire. In my heart I was far from God. I was the Prodigal Son to the fullest degree. It was during these dark days of blindness, when my desires were fully centered on myself, that I stood by and allowed the abortion of my child. I do not blame the mother. We were both terribly blind and self-centered. This was in 1989.
In September 1994, I met the woman through whom our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ would pour His abundant Mercy into my heart and my life.
On October 29, 2003, God answered a prayer which ushered forth from my heart and led me back home to my Catholic faith which I had abandoned in practice except for the holiday public appearances for the sake of family. Since then God’s profound truths continue to be revealed to me through Mass, Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and God’s radiant imprint on the Universe. And I am constantly in awe as He continues His transformational work within my hardened heart made tender by the power of His Love for me.
We love our Holy Mother Church and our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. I have personally learned much from our Holy Father’s writings, his Homilies, and his speeches. (Recently, my father was in the hospital. For his reading pleasure I left him Spe Salvi and I understand he enjoyed it very much!)
I was too late in securing two tickets to take my beloved wife to see our Holy Father on the historic occasion of his visit to the United States and I deeply regret this because it is through our bond in marriage that our Lord’s Mercy is reaching into the depths of both of our souls. Should two tickets need a home, I am humbly praying that you consider sending them for us. We are reserved to watch the events unfold in the media. However, to this day I cherish the ticket stub I keep in my Bible from John Paul II’s visit in 1987. It reminds me of where I was at the time and where I am today. What a joy it would be to see in person our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI and share this experience with my beloved. When we were young and received the Sacrament of Confirmation we chose the names of two our most cherished heroes from the history of our Church: St. Bernadette Soubirous and St. Peter, our first Pope. Today, our patron saints continue to inspire us as we travel, hand in hand, towards our Eternal Rest in the arms of Jesus.
May God Bless Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI on his visit to the United States and may all of us experience God’s Mercy and Love as we take up our crosses and follow Jesus.
I’m very excited that the USCCB put this blog together. I can’t wait for the Holy Father to visit. While I won’t be able to attend in person, EWTN will air all the confrences and the Divine Worship throughout the visit. I look forward to seeing our Holy Father celebrate the Sacred Liturgy and hope that it will be a example to the American Catholic Church.
I was born a cradle Catholic, but experimented with Evangelical denominations in college. Their warmth, friendliness and love of Scripture is what attracted me. But little did I know, all of that was available in the Catholic Church. Simply put, “I had ears but did not listen.”
My mother fervently prayed for me to the Holy Mother to come back to the Church. Through her intercession and by studying The Holy Father, I came back in 1993. By reading about Peter and his successors, I came across the deep history of the Church, this lead me to read the Apostolic Fathers. In the words of St. Ignatius of Antioch: “Where there is Christ Jesus, there is the Catholic Church.”
Today, I have dedicated my gifts to the service of the Church. I want to reach youth and young adults with the truth about the Church founded by Christ.
A week ago Tuesday I learned that I was chosen out of a lottery pool of Catholics from the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida. I would like to thank the souls in Purgatory, the Saints, our Blessed Mother, and his Majesty Jesus for the gift of this Ticket for the Washington, Nationals Stadium mass for April 17th. Bendict XVI the Augustinian is the kindly shepherd, as he was a professor and vice-president of the University of Regensburg. It was John Paul II who went to listen to Cardinal Ratzinger who was lecturing at the University of Munich. John Paul II appointed Cardinal Ratzinger prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Prefect for 23 years). See Benedict XVI encyclicals God is Love and Saved by Hope. Let us remember the theme for the Holy Father’s trip to the USA in 2008 “Christ Our Hope”.
I am very excited for the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States. I will be traveling with a small group from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA to Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on Thursday for the Celebration of the Eucharist. I am really looking forward to a deeply spiritual and memorable day. I hope to be able to share my experience with other college students around the country.
I notice that the Pope always seems to be wearing red shoes. Is there a specific reason?
I would thank all of you so much for this web-site, which
permitted us to “follow” the Holy Father throughout your country.
It was a very great and deep joy for us, here in Abidjan
(Ivory Coast, Westafrica).
We hope, that Pope Benedict will soon visit an african country !
Thank you again.
I was so excited to learn that the pope is coming to the U.S. and to also find out about this website. I want to thank everybody who made this possible. I also read where this site might be ending sometime in june, which I hope does not happen. I have watched the videos over and over and it still excites me to see the pope as if he just got here.