To Contact Us
Write:
PO Box 1603
Lafayette, IN 47902
Phone:
(765) 742-2050
Fax:
(765) 742-7513
E-mail
our office
Happening ... in the Local Church
By Kevin Cullen
The
Catholic Moment
For Mary Doty and thousands of others, it was a dream come true: the rare chance to see, to hear, and to pray with Pope Benedict XVI, successor to St. Peter and spiritual leader of all Catholics.
Doty was among dozens of priests, seminarians and parishioners from throughout our Local Church who attended papal events in Washington, D.C., and New York April 15-20. Bishop William L. Higi attended the pope’s meeting with bishops in Washington and concelebrated the stadium Mass there.
“It was a major evening in my life,” said Doty, a parishioner at Our Lady of Grace Church in Noblesville, who attended the April 17 papal Mass in Nationals Park, Washington. “My husband is a convert, and I told him, ‘You have no idea what this means to me.’ To attend a Mass with the vicar of Christ celebrating was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That is what it’s all about.”
She and her husband, Jim, were in Rome for their 30th wedding anniversary two years ago, but they missed the Wednesday papal audience. Neither had seen a pope before.
“My husband knew that really disappointed me,” Doty said. “He was the one who contacted the diocese to see if he could get tickets. I wouldn’t have even thought about it. What a wonderful gift. It was such a blessing.”
They were part of a crowd of 46,000 at the new baseball stadium. Among other intentions, Doty prayed for her sister-in-law, who had been diagnosed with cancer two weeks ago. Two days after the Mass, her sister-in-law learned that she won’t need chemotherapy or surgery … just a shot once a month.
“That, to me, was one of the most profound moments, knowing that my prayer was actually heard,” Doty said.
By all accounts, the Holy Father’s visit was a great success. He was greeted by President Bush and met by cheering, enthusiastic crowds wherever he went. He spoke with bishops, Catholic educators, victims of the clergy sex abuse scandal, seminarians, people with disabilities, and family members of people killed in the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center. He celebrated Mass in New York’s Yankee Stadium on April 20.
His public remarks were sometimes pointed. He condemned the sex abuse scandal and lamented past mistreatment of blacks and Native Americans. He talked about increased violence, coarsened social relations, and “signs of a disturbing breakdown in the very foundations of society.”
But Pope Benedict XVI also noted that Americans always have carried a message of hope, and have been open to the teachings of Christ. He encouraged the Church in America to build on its accomplishments, re-energize its missionary efforts, focus on the message of hope and faith and rediscover the “liberating power” of the sacrament of penance.
Many audience members commented on the 81-year-old, German-born pontiff’s excellent English, his physical and intellectual vigor and his understanding of issues important to the 65 million Americans who identify themselves as Catholic.
During the stadium Mass in Washington, the prayers of the faithful were presented in several languages. Doty said that made her feel part of a truly universal Church.
She called Pope Benedict “such a loving, humble man. He brings the sense of what Jesus is supposed to be about. That is the sense you get in his presence, even before he speaks, and he spoke very eloquently about the love of Christ … I was so moved by his words. I truly believe he will impact the Church in bringing people back who have drifted away. I really think it will impact vocations and make young people more willing to listen to that call.”
Joshua Bennett, a seminarian for the Lafayette diocese, saw Pope Benedict XVI last year in Rome, at the canonization of St. Theodore Guerin. Seeing him again in Washington, he said, “was special, because unlike in Rome, the pope preached in English rather than Italian, and there was an excitement and energy in the stadium that put the much larger crowd in St. Peter’s Square to shame.”
The theme of the trip was “Christ Our Hope,” Bennett said. The Holy Father noted that that message is contained in the Gospels and exhibited in the history of the Church in the United States.
The Holy Father stressed the fact that a “constant conversion to Christ” is not possible without proper catechesis — comprehensive and sound instruction in the truths of the faith, Bennett said.
The pope’s U.S. visit, he said, made him enthusiastic about being Catholic, and enthused about the possibility of someday being ordained a priest, with the opportunity to “give my life to the Church as a mirror of this great hope, which is none other than Jesus Christ himself.”
Kathy Farrell, of St. Maria Goretti Parish, Westfield, was impressed by the pope’s humble demeanor: how he welcomed the crowds with open arms, how he spoke and smiled.
“By his gestures, he was embracing all of us in Christ’s arms,” she said.
Being at the Mass in Washington, Farrell said, “felt just like a piece of heaven. It felt extremely peaceful. You would think that with 46,000 people, it wouldn’t be peaceful but it was so peaceful, so joyful.”
Farrell said that many priests heard confessions in tents before Mass, and “people looked like they were being freed. The priests were listening so intently. Everybody was very kind and thoughtful. There was no pushing or shoving. In today’s world, that’s a nice thing.”
Maurice Cohagan, of St. Ann Church, Kewanna, was among a group of 10 from five parishes. He teaches religious education at St. Joseph, Rochester; St. Peter, Winamac, and St. Anne, Monterey.
“I just loved seeing the pope,” he said. “… He turned 81 (during the visit) but he was energetic. He walked all across the baseball diamond to the stand where the altar was set up.”
“Everybody was applauding and waving flags. I was proud to be a Catholic and to have that many other Catholics around me from other cultures, other races,” Cohagan said. “It was great, probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing for me … his coming to America shows that he is interested in us; that is the way I take it.”
Some of those at the stadium even were able to shake the Holy Father’s hand. “I was jealous,” Cohagan said. “I would have loved to have shaken his hand, but I was in the stands.”
“I thought I was going to be in heaven”
Scott Surette, of St. Louis de Montfort Parish, Fishers, wept throughout the papal Mass in Washington. He said that the sound of 46,000 people singing as one was unforgettable. He often plays guitar at church services.
“It blew me away,” he said. “I thought I was going to be in heaven. I couldn’t utter a sound. The sound of that many people in unison, worshipping God was overwhelming, even in a baseball stadium with a heckler outside with a megaphone, telling us we were idol worshippers.”
In December, his wife, Audrey, dreamed that he was going to Yankee Stadium. The next day, he learned that the pope would celebrate Mass there, so he inquired about tickets. None were available, but eventually, the Surettes got tickets for Washington.
“For some reason, God wanted Audrey and me to be at the Mass,” he said.
They had terrible seats, but as soon as the pope entered, that didn’t matter.
“There was a change in spirit,” Surette said. “It became a really powerful event very quickly. All of a sudden, I felt I was in a very, very holy place. Everybody had their own reaction; some were very excited and happy to see him, but I was absolutely overwhelmed and began to cry. I don’t know why. I had tears in my eyes through the entire Mass.”
He had just been to confession, but still felt overwhelmed by sinfulness and a sense of guilt and unworthiness.
He has been an active Catholic for many years, but “I absolutely didn’t expect to just get my socks knocked off in this fashion,” he said. “I thought I was going to be full of joy and happiness. It will take me some time to digest it and figure out, from a spiritual perspective, what God was saying to me.
“It was a day that will live with me forever, I’m sure.”