The
Pope is coming,
and
this is how you
can
get tickets.
Many are eager to attend the Mass with Pope Francis on Wednesday,
September 23, at 4:15 PM, on the grounds of the Catholic University of
America at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. I would love to be able to offer a ticket to
everyone who would like to attend!
However, the number of tickets available is limited, and the number
given to Saint Bernadette for our registered parishioners is very small. I will do my best to allocate our tickets fairly.
The
Mass will be IN SPANISH. The
tickets we have been allotted are of three different types: one is for open seating at the Mass; another is for
standing room at the Mass; a third is
for “in the Shrine,” and I confess
that I do not know precisely what that indicates. Some seats and standing
areas have obstructed views. Huge
televisions will be deployed to make up for what is lacking, and I assume that
would include the interior of the Shrine.
Please realize that due to crowd
size and heavy security restrictions, Mass
attendees will be required to arrive at the Shrine/CUA hours ahead of
time. Moreover, it has not yet been
decided whether the parish or the archdiocese will arrange transportation. Those provisions will be announced by the end
of August, but for now you must prepare for the necessity of getting there on
your own. Current recommendations for
arriving start at 10:00 (!), and indicate a deadline for being in your seat by no later than 3:00. There
will be a program of music and other activities to help this time be more
joyful.
Because they are so scarce, tickets will be assigned individually and
by name. Therefore, each individual
who desires a ticket must make an individual request. For each request that we are able to fulfill,
only one ticket will be given. This
means, for example, that if you and your spouse both want to attend, each must
make a separate request. If your family gets
fewer tickets than you have members who want to attend, you will know then how
I feel right now! Your request also must
affirm that, if given a ticket, you yourself will attend the Papal Mass. If you are later prevented from using the
ticket, the honorable and appropriate action would be to return it to the
rectory.
Please submit your individual
ticket request in writing, by
a letter addressed to me, mailed or delivered to the rectory; OR by email at reception@stbernadetteschurch.org
with “Papal Mass” and your name on the subject line. Please include an explanation of why you want
to attend the Mass, and how you your presence at this sacred event would represent
our parish well. It almost goes without
saying that making a request does not guarantee a ticket.
Requests must be received by
close of business Friday, August 28, and we will notify only those who are
awarded tickets. Do not despair if you
hear nothing; last time we had a Papal Mass, additional tickets became
available up to the very day before the Mass!
Thank you for your cooperation
and understanding.
Monsignor
Smith
