News
Diocesan Faithful Reflect on Papal Mass
A number of faithful in the Diocese of Raleigh are submitting personal reflection on their pilgrimage to the Papal Masses in the Archdioceses of Washington, D.C. and New York City. Below are samples of the reflections received. Additional ones will be added in the forthcoming days. Please check the Diocesan Papal Visit page regularly for updates and for a gallery of photographs that will be compiled from pictures submitted by Mass attendees.
Reflections
My euphoria began Friday March 14 at 7:11 pm when I opened the e-mail from the Diocese informing me I had been selected for two tickets to the Papal Mass in Washington DC; and has not ended.
The Mass was the most marvelous day I have spent on Earth. When I have watched interviews of participants from prior Papal Masses, of how it “moved them,” “changed their lives,” etc. I thought “yeah right.” I was wrong.
- When the Popemobile passed below us, I felt like Pope Benedict was waving directly at me.
- Each exchange during the liturgy, I felt I was in a private Mass
- During his marvelous Homily I felt it was a one-on-one conversation
- I felt I was receiving the Eucharist directly from our Pontiff, although he was 200 feet away
I have never been more at peace with my life as a member of our wonderful Church.
Mike Oliver
The most pervasive feeling I had at the mass was one of being watched, of actually feeling the presence of God looking down on us. I know that whenever we gather at Mass, the real presence of Jesus is always there. It was just never this palpable before. I guess I felt that of all the things Jesus could be doing, of the people He could be watching, He was definitely among the >40K people with Pope Benedict.
Jorge and Jo-Ann Davalos
Holy Infant, Durham
My experience at the Youth Rally was a tremendous blessing! We sat with the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, right behind our Diocese of Raleigh seminarians! It was so inspiring to see so many seminarians and religious with the youth! When the Pope passed by in the Pope Mobile, we were standing at the gate only 10 ft. or so from him! His presence here in the United States gives hope to the youth for our Holy Mother Church! He told us we are the Church! His words made me reflect on my vocation and my current role in the life of the Catholic Church. My favorite quote from the Holy Father that day was:
"Do you leave space to hear God's whisper, calling you forth into goodness? Friends, do not be afraid of silence or stillness, listen to God, adore him in the Eucharist. Let his word shape your journey as an unfolding of holiness."
Sarah Elisabeth Goldman
14 years old
We were very fortunate to be able to represent the Raleigh Diocese at the Papal Mass in Washington, D.C. amongst the 46,000 other people from across our country and the world. We are sure that Nationals Stadium will never hear a roar as loud as the roar when Pope Benedict XVI first appeared entering the field in his "Popemobile". Even though we were in the way upper deck, you could feel the warmth and enthusiasm that he had as he passed by below.
This was a very moving experience to be in the presence of Pope Benedict and to personally receive his message of hope and new life for the Catholic Church in America. It was amazing how quiet the stadium would get while Pope Benedict was speaking and then hear the crowd sing and pray together. It was very humbling to say the words "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed" along side Pope Benedict and then receive Holy Communion with him.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that we are very grateful for having the opportunity to attend.
Gina and Glenn Clapp
Holly Springs
On April 17th, I had the extreme honor of attending the Papal Mass in Washington, DC. A couple of months ago, it was announced at my parish, St. Mark's, that there was a lottery for our diocese for these tickets, and that only 100 would be given out. Since my husband knew he wouldn't be able to get out of work, I had the difficult task of choosing one of my 3 children to go with me. I chose my 11-year old son since he insists that he will one day be a military chaplain. I was so shocked when I got the email saying that our names had been selected. My son was ecstatic and started counting down the days with me. The day we were leaving, a local news team came to his school and interviewed him.
We traveled with 4 other parishioners from our church. We had a total of 3 adults and 3 boys.
Just before Holy Mass began, our Holy Father did a lap around the stadium in his Pope Mobile.The cheers were deafening. I was overwhelmed with emotion as I watched all of these faithful people waving their little yellow and white flags, crying tears of joy and happiness at the site of Pope Benedict XVI. As Holy Mass began, a sense of pride welled up inside of me. I looked around at this 50,000 -plus crowd of predominantly Catholic people and felt a sense of oneness as we sang familiar hymns together. Hearing a unified and enthusiastic "Amen" from the crowd was amazing! Professing the Creed with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ was one of the most powerful experiences, along with the recitation of the Lord's Prayer. Another moment that stands out in my mind is when the Holy Father held up the Body of our Lord during the Consecration. The look on his face showed such love and reverence. At one point, I looked up into the blue sky, devoid of any clouds, and thought to myself "God must surely be looking down on this Holy Mass with such happiness". I don't think any of us was ready for the Mass to end. I felt so blessed to have been a part of this amazing experience. For me, I was able to connect with Pope Benedict XVI in a way that I was previously unable to do. I grew up with Pope John Paul II as my Pope...it was hard for me to have those same feelings for our new Pope. This visit changed that for me. I know that God chose me and my son for this trip for a reason. Nothing is chance or coincidence with God. My son will never forget this trip. I don't know if God will call him to be a priest or not. He may be called to be a faith-filled husband and father. But, I believe that this experience helped to open his heart and mind to hear where he is being called.
Dawn Neitzey
Parishioner of St. Mark's Catholic Church, Wilmington NC
God Bless to all the people who work so hard to make this wonderful event possible. Since that time we were getting close to the stadium we were feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit. This mass was a Blessing for all the people who attended it, and to our communities, friends and families because we were able to take the joyful of the Spirit everywhere. It was a good feeling to be around a lot of Catholics and I will remember always from Pope Benedict XVI That Our hope is Christ and the ones who have hope, lives differently.
God Bless You all!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Carmen Rodriguez
The pope’s visit to the United States and to New York City not only reflected his message of hope but one of inclusion. His visit struck us in so many ways, but none more poignant than the way he reached out to all – the young, the struggling, the handicapped, the promising religious of the future, not to mention each of us as individuals.
His homily was a message reflective of his entire visit; a focus to the youth – our future, the hope of Christ – strength and encouragement for all of us, a conclusion in Spanish – reaching out to his universal church. We were amazed with the stride of his walk – full of energy that in turn became a message so powerful and alive. As his motorcade – also alive with the police escort – left Manhattan and as we stood outside Our Lady of Peace, a parish church on the East Side, we remained in awe of a most memorable weekend.
Ed & Debi Collupy
Raleigh
I awoke early to a beautiful day in our nation’s capital. I fantasized that I was one of the faithful following on foot to hear this rabbi, Jesus. On this day I would travel with my fellow believers to hear the Sermon on the Mount. However, I awoke from my reverie to find myself on a Metro platform deep beneath the City of Washington, DC, nevertheless with throngs of my fellow believers. Emerging from the underground, we found ourselves at the huge stadium-transformed into an outdoor cathedral with lovely music playing, a 250-voice Papal mass choir with the famous Mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, a 175-voice Papal Children’s choir and a wonderful 65-voice Intercultural Choir singing in French, Zulu and Spanish.
I was overcome at times with emotion. As a cradle Catholic, something I had dreamed of was actually going to happen. I was going to be in the presence of my Pope. Many people were moved to tears. When the popemobile finally emerged, it met with wild cheering and welcoming from the faithful in that stadium. The Mass was a combination of beautiful traditional music and ethnic hymns - so rich in diversity. For me, at times it was difficult to see through my emotional tears. A very special moment occurred after the beautiful voice of Placido Domingo singing Panis Angelicus, the Pope got up from his chair to meet the famous tenor. Domingo knelt before the Pope….so extremely moving that this famous tenor was visibly humbled. Yet another crying moment for this writer. Some 47,000 faithful poured out of the stadium still maintaining a special feeling that we had truly been blest on that day.
It is now the day after the Mass, I am home in Durham, but still glowing...my soul is still smiling.
Fran Hamacher
Durham
As I sat in section 418 with my first grader, Natalia Biser, I wondered what was going through her mind. Just I as going to ask her, she asked me, “Daddy when the Pope comes out, what will he do?” I replied, “That the Pope was the leader of the Church, but he was a priest too. He would say Mass, like a priest.”
ABC channel 11 came and asked her a few questions. She responded that she knew she was part of history, and commented that the moment was special.
Natalia pointed out that she could see the Washington Monument from the stadium, and that the sky was very blue. Then suddenly, His Holiness arrived. Everyone got to their feet. My little girl stood up in her chair, then climbed into my arms to see him.
The look on her face was one of curiosity, and amazement.
She went to communion to receive her blessing from the priest. (She has not made her first communion, so she crossed her arms.) Then when His Holiness left, as Mass had ended, he waved to all. Again, she climbed my arms, as he waved to us. She was convinced he had waved to her.
As we left the stadium, Lisa Reyes, with News 14 called, and asked Natalia what she thought of the Mass. She said, “It was fun, and great. No, it was fantastic!”
I agree with Natalia, it was fantastic.
Kenneth Biser
Durham
Going to the Mass in DC was even more meaningful for us than we had first anticipated. Everyone there was delighted to be a part of the beautiful celebration and very cheerful. Praising God together with our Holy Father and 47,000 faithful was a profound and moving experience which we shall never forget!
Two of our friends who did not have tickets to the Mass came along with a lot of faith and hope that somehow they would get into the stadium. They fashioned a cardboard sign saying "tickets needed" and sure enough were given tickets before the Mass began-great seats to boot!
As we left the stadium, we were greeted by some folks who were obviously misinformed about Catholicism. As they shouted at us through their megaphones that we needed to repent and read the Bible or burn in Hell, someone in our dense crowd started singing "Holy God We Praise Thy Name" and as hundreds of us joined in, the protestors were quieted! It was beautiful!
Mary and Greg Hobbs
Raleigh
This experience of seeing the Pope in person has been such a blessing for me and something of a period at the end of a three year long sentence. I entered the Church at Easter in 2005 just a few weeks before Pope John Paul II would pass away from this world. And so now I am a brand new Catholic with a brand new pope. I was a bit apprehensive about this new pope. Even before I was Catholic I knew that Pope John Paul II was a great leader, besides he had been pope all of my life, a different pope seemed very odd. But I knew that the Church is safe in the hands of Jesus and I placed my trust in Him and went about the business of bringing the rest of my family into the Church.
My husband was not against having the children baptized but told me not to expect him to come to church except for special occasions. And so the praying began. I prayed at times as one without hope, I prayed that his conversion would come before his death. I know my husband. I know that he will not soften his heart to listen to the Lord's call. How foolish can I be? How could I forget that our Lord can do anything? And so in true fatherly fashion the Lord humbled me ever so gently. My husband came into the church a scant three years later.
We then found out we had a chance to see the pope on his first visit to the USA just a month after my husband's baptism. We spent this trip, our first trip anywhere together alone in eight years, reconnecting and really discussing our faith and our family. The best end of the trip was Mass with the pope. For my husband especially, this Mass was the perfect next step in his faith journey. He was amazed and comforted to know the Mass is the same in Newton Grove, NC as it is in New York City, even when the Pope is presiding.
For me it was the best reminder that I must continue to have hope in the Lord, for with Him nothing is impossible.
Zabrina Crickon
Newton Grove
The high energy I felt at the Papal Mass was overwhelming. It was truly wonderful to share pure joy, love and excitement for our Catholic faith and our supreme Shepherd with total strangers who share a common bond. It truly was a once in a lifetime experience for me and my 14 year-old daughter, Victoria.
Francine Sabisch
Hubert
As a new Catholic, confirmed and accepted into full communion with the Church on Easter Saturday, it was a truly incredible experience of a lifetime for me to attend the Papal Mass in NYC. What struck me most was the aura of love that I saw reflected in the Holy Father. When he raised his arms and smiled, I saw a look of true and unconditional love for all of us. His homily was based in love as well. While celebrating with us our unique freedom, he urged us to use it wisely to protect all living beings including the unborn. His message was one of hope, love, and the importance of works. To hear the prayers of the faithful celebrated in so many diverse languages was truly powerful as well. It brought home to me how worldwide our true faith is, and how important it is for us to unite in faith and works to make our world a better place.
Candace McCuiston
Raleigh
I was on the mall when Pope John Paul II visited Washington, D.C. so many years ago. Our daughter was just a child at the time, but she remembers it clearly. As a person of Polish/German ancestry, it was important for me to attend.
I was thrilled when my name appeared as a lucky recipient of tickets to see His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.
I was not sure how those attending would receive Pope Benedict, as we in America, know so little about him. As soon as he appeared, the crowd erupted in thunderous clapping and whistling, joyfully shouting his name, and waving flags. There was a flood of tears and the hair on my arms stood on end. He waved to the crowd, wiggling his fingers as though a kindly grandfather, overjoyed to see his grandchildren. He won us over with his genuine smile and approachability.
The mass was one I will never forget. He spoke in English and Spanish, a crowd pleas-er to the bi-lingual crowd. The programs could not have been better, explaining parts of the mass along the way. This, I'm sure, was appreciated by non-Catholics and those who may have been away from the church for any length of time. His blessing of the crowd was the thrill of a lifetime. I can only image what it felt like to receive communion from the vicar of Peter.
As he left the stadium, he touched some of those in attendance and kissed children. The choir and celebrities chosen to sing for the mass added much to the solemness of the occasion. The weather was perfect and the day was unforgettable.
Those not of the faith were also touched by the televised mass. I've heard at least three people were moved and watched the entire coverage.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Linda McLeskey
Kitty Hawk, NC
What a blessing. Yes, we were sitting on the third base side, third row from the top at Yankee Stadium (my friend who came with me, Mary Jo Bukowski, St. Andrews in Apex, said we were in heaven).
It was cold and windy - where was the sun that shone the last few days? Long about 10 minutes before our Pope entered the stadium, the sun did begin to shine (though not on our side of the stand), but strangely, as the anticipation mounted, and as our Pope did entered the stadium, truly the sun did shine. Our apostolic leader, walking in the unbroken line of St. Peter, came and celebrated with us, at that same table that Christ Himself celebrated. He is teacher, reminder of Faith and giver of HOPE and Love. I was warmed and filled to overflowing, feeling the Holy Spirit, loving God.
I was fortunate enough to go on the diocesan pilgrimage with our Bishop Burbidge just a week earlier and as I thought then, it was clear to me as Pope Benedict blessed me, the crowd (over 50,000) our country - that as the shadow of his hand fell, just as St. Peter's shadow fell, so many years ago, those in faith are healed.
Jane Pfister
Cary
As someone who likes to sit up front at church, as I entered Yankee Stadium I wondered if this was too big to feel personal. However, even from the upper section I could feel like I was in the front row and participating in a mass with Pope Benedict, hearing his homily and the positive message of hope in Christ. The energy of the crowd gathered to see the Pope and hear his words was exhilarating. During the mass people stood outside the stadium at a nearby park to listen. It was a great day: sharing the subway with other members of the faith community, meeting people at the stadium, listening to the concert, and finally participating in the Papal mass.
Spending the weekend in New York (where I grew up) made me remember that Catholics may be a minority in North Carolina, but not elsewhere. The media was buzzing with news of the Pope's visit and stops in New York. It reminds me that I am part of a very large community of believers.
Jackie Huvane
Durham
Upon arriving into the National Stadium and the first thing my husband and I saw was the Tent of Reconciliation. It brought tears to my eyes. It made me think of all those priests hearing confessing in Rome when Pope John Paul II passed away. It was such a beautiful sight to see how many priests were available and there was a line. Then it hit me as I was so over come with joy & tears that I had been so blessed to have been chosen to witness this wonderful event. I was so moved by the number of religious both men and women and that so many people sacrifice their lives everyday to bring truth to the world.
I just was in awe with the Holy Father and his love that was pouring out upon us in such a way, that is was so obvious that the presence of the Holy Spirit was in this place.
Karen Foote
Raleigh