Floridians get up early for pope’s first U.S. Mass
DANIEL SOñÉ | FC
Many who were fortunate enough to receive tickets for the Mass at Nationals Park arrive before daybreak more than five-hours prior to the start of Mass.
WASHINGTON | Major League Baseball stadiums are often referred to as “cathedrals of baseball,” but on April 16 the new Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., became a Catholic cathedral, transformed for a Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI for 46,000 of the faithful, including many Floridians fortunate enough to obtain tickets distributed through their dioceses.
Those attending the Mass were encouraged to arrive early. Once inside the stadium they were provided a live show called “Morning Glory” featuring music, interviews and video greetings from dioceses around the country. Also available were confessions and concessions. Priests were on hand to offer the sacrament of reconciliation, and the stadium’s food vendors offered hot dogs (at 6 a.m.?!), Danish pastries, muffins, juice and soft drinks‚ but no beer.
One Florida family arrived early and took advantage of confessions first, and then the concessions. Teri Mueller of St. Michael Catholic Community at Eglin Air Force Base in the Pensacola-Tallahassee Diocese told the Florida Catholic the pope’s call to sacramental confession in his homily was very moving. That is one of the reasons she was glad her whole family was able to receive the sacrament before Mass. “I’m glad the church provided that,” she said.
Mueller, along with her husband, Bill, a lieutenant colonel, and her sons Paul and Mark who are home-schooled, arrived around 6:30 a.m. and were able to roam the stadium concourse by around 7 a.m., having already been absolved in reconciliation.
“The day was marvelous,” Teri Mueller she said of the part pilgrimage/part home- school field trip for her boys.
For Father Anthony Palmese of St. Jude Parish in Ocala, getting around a papal visit Mass site with 46,000 other people might not have been an easy task, especially since the Florida priest is using a wheelchair these days. But with the help of the Archdiocese of Washington’s Ministry With Persons With Disabilities office and seminarian Richard Nichols, who escorted Father Palmese wherever he needed to go, the task was much easier.
“I’m so excited,” Father Palmese said about an hour after the April 17 Mass at Nationals Stadium in Washington.
He and his seminarian escort were on the outfield (which was covered in plastic) with the concelebrants for the Mass. They ended up about 25 yards from Pope Benedict XVI as he came out from behind the altar in center field for a trip around the warning track and made a circuit of the field in the white Mercedes Benz popemobile.
“We had a beautiful view of the altar and the chair. … It was just fabulous, extremely moving.”
Francis Rooney, former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, said the papal Mass at Nationals Park was appropriate because it was reflective of what the United States is about and reflective of the church in the U.S. The display of diversity and inclusion in the Mass — a number of languages in the prayers of the faithful and presentations of the gifts, for example — are hallmarks of both the church and our country, Rooney said.
“The Holy Father reflected thoughts similar to what he said to the president” the day before at the White House, the former ambassador, a Naples resident, told the Florida Catholic.
“Hopefully everyone in the church will be as uplifted as we (who attended the Mass) were.”