There are a lot of
great moments that come with being Pastor.
You would likely understand my excitement at the privilege of giving
kids their first Holy Communions, for example.
Similarly, I bet none of you would be surprised to learn that I have
really enjoyed giving people the chance to see the Pope.
This week I have been
in the happy position of distributing tickets to the Mass with Pope Francis at
Catholic University of America. You know
everybody who wanted one had to write a letter explaining why they should
represent our parish. The letters were
great, and the folks who are going cover an amazing spectrum of our
people. Young to old, long-time
parishioners to brand-new Catholics, some of this and a bit of that: we will be
well represented.
Getting a ticket from
our parish allotment is not the only way Saint Bernadette faithful are getting
the chance to be at the Mass with the Holy Father. I know of at least three who are singing in
the choir, and at least one assisting as a volunteer. Several are attending because they are
faculty at CUA, and several because of the work they do in the Archdiocese beyond
our parish. It’s no surprise; our parish
is an integral and essential part of the life of the local Church, and when the
Church of Washington undertakes something this big, you know she will call upon
Saint Bernadette for her participation. If you look closely you might even see
me assisting the Cardinals in the sanctuary.
We are also sending a
busload of our young people, led by our principal Mrs. Wood, to greet the Holy
Father at the Apostolic Nunciature. That
is the Holy See’s “embassy” over on Massachusetts Avenue, where he will be staying
while in Washington. A couple folks have
told me that they have a chance to attend the ceremonies with the Pope and the President at the White
House; and several families plan to line the route of the Popemobile Parade
around the Ellipse. Nobody has said they
have a ticket to the address to the joint session of Congress, but I wouldn’t
be surprised if we had “one of us” among even that exclusive group.
I was happy to be
able to give tickets to three students in our school who asked to attend the
Mass. I was so happy, I invited four
television stations to come and see me surprise them with their tickets in
their classrooms. Channels 4, 7, 9, and
EWTN all ran stories that showed our kids’ excitement and understanding of the
significance of the event. If you missed
them, you may still be able to catch them on the websites.
This is not a matter
of mere celebrity. Our kids know who Pope
Francis is, and who he is to them. It’s not about this or that he has said, or
done, or changed, or kept the same; it is that he is the Successor of Peter and our Holy Father. He
loves them as he loves Christ and the Church, and they love him right
back. This shone through in everything our
students said and did in front of those TV cameras, and the journalists along
with everyone who saw them on TV cannot help but recognize it. I am so proud.
It gives me joy to
know that you all are eager to be with our Holy Father, and as members of the
Church of Washington, to be the first “face” he sees on his first visit to our
country. If it gives me this much joy, I can only
imagine the joy that is in store for our Universal Pastor, Pope Francis, when he
stands for the first time before all these people, understanding and
experiencing that we are his, and he is ours.
Monsignor Smith
Check out these links to the news stories about Saint Bernadette kids' getting their tickets:
Channel 4 WRC
Channel 7 WJLA
Channel 9 WUSA
