Pope Trip

  In one of New York’s most hallowed places, Pope Benedict XVI’s visit only served to make it more so, meanwhile bringing his message of hope and faith in a world that can seem overwhelming.
   His visit Sunday to Yankee Stadium saw nearly 60,000 people pack the stadium. Every diocese in the nation was represented and five Archdioceses celebrated their 200th anniversaries (New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Boston and the elevation of Baltimore to an archdiocese).
   Four priests from the Diocese of Lansing assisted with the distribution of communion -- Father Dwight Ezop, pastor of St. Jude in DeWitt; Father Steve Mattson, pastor of St. Mary in Swartz Creek; Father Jerry Vincke, director of seminarians; and Father David Harvey, pastor of St. John’s in Fenton.
   For Father Dwight, having the opportunity to participate in Mass was exciting.
   “It was just a beautiful experience of the universal church,” he said.
   Forty pilgrims from the Diocese of Lansing traveled to New York on Saturday, April 19 with Corporate Travel in Dearborn, Mich. Forty more pilgrims left Thursday, April 17 from Flint via motor coach transport.
   Among the former group were several members of St. Jude parish in DeWitt, a youth group from St. Joseph in Adrian and several others. Seven pairs of mothers and daughters were among the travelers.
   DeWitt resident and St. Jude parishioner Kelly Doyle, 19, called the day, “one of the most amazing things ever.” She and her mother, Julie, and sister, Abbey, traveled with the group.
“It was so great to be there with 60,000 other Catholics with the leader of our church,” she said. “It makes you realize just how many other people there are just like you.”
   During his homily, Pope Benedict XVI enjoined Catholics to not “lose heart in the face of adversity.”   As he spoke about the day’s gospels, the Pope reminded Catholics of their call to obedience, which is “not easy especially in a society that places a high value on personal freedom. True freedom, rather, is found only by losing ourselves in Jesus.
   “True freedom is God’s greatest gift,” he said.
   The growth of the Catholic Church in the past 200 years has been impressive, the Pope said. That growth has not been without challenges – of linguistic and culture challenges, among others.
The unity of the church, however, has shown that God is truly at work, he said.
   “The power and the will of God to create a unity which transcends human limitations and weaknesses,” he said.
   In the 200 years since the Archdioceses were formed by the Vatican, the Catholic community has changed greatly. Challenges still exist, he said.
   “In this land, Catholics found the freedom to practice their faith,” he said. Today this should “challenge us to a greater fidelity to purify our hearts, renew our baptismal promises and be people of joy and unfailing hope.
   “Follow in the footsteps of those before you, who left an impressive legacy,” he implored.
Catholics face challenges including the defense of life, education of children and care for the sick.
   Last, Pope Benedict XVI said he was moved by the “joy and hope of the young people … they are the future of the Church.”
   He offered encouragement to young people: “May you step forward and find the courage to proclaim Christ,” he said. He urged them to open their hearts to religious life.
   Sarah Lanczy, 18, also of DeWitt, said he was “inspired” by the Pope’s call to young people.
   “It’s nice to be included, a lot of times we get left out. It made me proud to be Catholic. It made my faith stronger to have the Pope come to America … and have him be proud to have us as followers.”
   Katie and Ian McKay, of Addison, Mich., said they appreciated the Mass.
“I thought having the intercessions in different languages was impressive,” Ian said. “An having the Pope address the crowd in Spanish was cool too.”
   Ian, a 21-year-old psychology major from Siena Heights University, understands Spanish and understands that the visit could be a once-in-a-lifetime.
   “I was a pretty neat experience,” he said. “It’s something that not a whole lot of people get to do.”
   His sister, Katie, 15, said she enjoyed the music during the Mass.
   “I knew the hymns and was excited to sing them,” she said. “I was looking forward to the homily but it was hard to hear, so that was a little disappointing.”
   What wasn’t disappointing was that Katie thought the Pope truly enjoyed himself.
   “I’m sure he’s a very serious person,” she said, “but it was nice to see him smile when people applauded.”