Local Catholics make trek to D.C., New York to catch glimpse of pope
Priests treasure opportunity to concelebrate Mass with Holy Father

By JONAH DYCUS
Herald Staff Writer

HOUSTON – Father Hubert Kealy considered the chance to be in the presence of the Holy Father within an American professional sports venue too good to pass up.
He was among hundreds of U.S. priests and bishops who concelebrated Mass with Pope Benedict XVI during his April 15-20 visit to Washington, D.C., and New York City.  The special Mass was held at the Washington Nationals’ baseball stadium.
“It was just a super experience, and one of my lifetime dreams fulfilled – being in the left field of a great professional baseball field and having the pope show up,” laughed Father Kealy, the pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Conroe and an ardent sports fan. “It is the first time I remember going to a Papal Mass that the pope invited the priests to concelebrate. Just the fact that I was going to be able to concelebrate with the pope and with the (U.S.) bishops and priests really encouraged me to go.”
Thousands of faithful from the archdiocese found personal inspiration to make the pilgrimage to the northeast to catch a glimpse of the Holy Father, his first visit to this country since he was named pope in 2005.
Oscar Zavala, a parishioner at St. Philip of Jesus, flew to Washington, D.C., with a delegation of hundreds from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. When the pope’s visit shifted to New York, Zavala’s troupe chartered multiple buses to the Big Apple.
“We all just wanted to show our support for the pope and spread the good news,” Zavala said. “Our mission was to be on the streets and show unity, and show the love between brothers and sisters. We are a great Church in the U.S. and in Galveston-Houston. And we have the ability to spread the word around the whole world. All of us can be missionaries.”
One of the messages the pope shared with Americans focused on being active in faith and evangelization, Father Kealy said.
“What touched me was when he spoke about the importance of Christ being the center of our life, the source of our hope, and the center of the hope for our youth, our society, our peace…Christ is the center of our lives, and we should grow in Christ,” he stated. “That message always moves me.”
For the priest, the geographical destination of his trip to the north ultimately proved extra rewarding. “I had neglected to remember that Washington is very close to the Harrisburg diocese (in Pennsylvania), where I am from originally,” he said. “I had a chance to see a dozen or so of my priest friends from Harrisburg, which was something I didn’t think of until I actually saw them.”
There was good reason for U.S. Catholics to be excited about the pope coming here, Father Kealy observed. “We love our country and we are glad when somebody comes to visit us,” the priest said. “We are glad when someone comes to visit us in his love for us with something worthwhile to say.”
The pastor also noticed that “with so many close-ups, we had a good chance to see his face. I just love this man’s face. He just shines with fatherly love for what he is doing.”
Father Miguel Solorzano, St. Charles Borromeo pastor, referred to the pope’s national visit as an “historical event” for U.S. Catholics. Like Father Kealy, he was a concelebrant at the Mass in D.C. More than 20 parishioners traveled from his parish to see the pontiff. “The pope’s message was very direct, very clear,” Father Solorzano recalled. “He addressed many important issues, and encouraged vocations and people to live a fully Christian life.
“I hope his visit will encourage people to follow Jesus closer, encourage people to come back to the Catholic Church and even encourage young people to join the priesthood or the religious life.”
He continued, “I believe his message was very optimistic and positive. It was not a message of division…It really was a message of unity, hope and belief.”
It was a message that resonated with Zavala, as well. “He wants to unite the Catholic Church. We are a great country and there are a lot of Catholic people in the United States,” Zavala said. “We need to hold on to our Church. The Church’s mission is to be the light to the world. And that is what we are doing right now – being faithful to our Church.”
Zavala said he hopes everyone can follow the example set by Pope Benedict XVI. “He is giving us great hope. It is true we should be listening to him…for our families and for our kids. They are waiting for us to give them something back in return – like living our faith and passing (his message) on to the next generation. One way to do this is by listening to the pope and believing he is our leader…Saying that we support him and we are open to whatever he says, ready to do what we need to do in support of the Church.
“We believe the pope is a great leader for us. And whatever he says, people should listen,” Zavala added.
Eighth grade students from Northwood School in Spring synchronized their class trip with Pope Benedict XVI’s stay in the U.S. The group of students had a couple of encounters with the pope on the move in D.C. They spotted him one time in a limo; the other, in the famed popemobile.
“It was amazing to see him go by us. It was a really fun experience,” Jorge Lerbo said. “I think it was good for our country to see him here, visiting the United States and the country’s capitol.”
“The second time we saw him, it was more clear because he was in the popemobile. We were on the top steps and we all got to see him well,” Sarah Picard remembered. “There were so many people there, I felt everyone was so happy and everyone was cheering when they saw him – it was really cool. Right when he came by, it was a big rush. It was really nice.”
While the pope spoke about many things during his time in the country, he emphasized that young people have a considerable role in the Church now, and into the future. “He said we are the future – we are the future of the Church,” Lerbo said. “He wants us to be on the good side of society and staying out of trouble. He wants us to do the right things, make the right decisions as we grow up.”
“It was good for us to be reminded of what we need to do, why we are here,” Picard said. “Just having him present makes you want to be more active in the Catholic faith. I’m glad he was able to come. It was very inspiring.”
The students got a closer encounter with a local member of the Church hierarchy – Daniel Cardinal DiNardo – on the plane ride to the nation’s capitol.
“We saw him when we were boarding, and when he sat down, we asked if we could take a picture with him,” Lerbo said. “We told him to pray for the school and for everyone.”