Seeing the Holy Father

My Day with the Holy Father

by Seminarian Dennis Anthony Suglia

As I recall the events of this Saturday April 20 at St. Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie, NY, one moment stands out among the rest. I recall seeing the pope-mobile, descending down upon the stage, at the outskirts of the lower field. Among the throng of the gathered assembly, tens of thousands strong, was this 81 year old man riding in the back of a supped up golf cart. But he was no ordinary man; he is the Vicar of Christ on earth.

And the thought crossed my mind……..no other person who walks on the face of the earth can do this to energize the masses. No one can ride in a vehicle, at nearly any venue in the world, and have tens of thousands cheering his arrival! But not because of who he is, but because of who he points us to: Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!

On April 19, 2008, along with 25,000 other of the youth, seminarians, priests, sisters and brothers of the Dioceses of metropolitan New York and across the United States and beyond, I attended the Papal youth rally at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. I came with my brother seminarians here in the Diocese of Rockville Centre who are studying for the priesthood at the Seminary of Immaculate Conception in Huntington.

When we arrived at about 11:30 AM, the grounds were nearly full. There was a festival area around the back of the Seminary complex that featured merchandize and refreshments. Down below the festival area was a massive stage, not unlike one you would encounter at a stadium concert. It featured a large performance area in the middle for the many acts that would entertain us before the expected arrival of Pope Benedict XVI at 5:00 PM.

As seminarians, we were given special tickets that enabled us to congregate around the front section of the stage, a real bonus! I was able to gradually make my way to near the front of stage right, where, as on stage left, there was an extended wing so that the Holy Father could get close to the gathered faithful if he wished.

While waiting for the rally to begin, we were entertained by various musical acts, entertainers and local media personalities. These kept things moving very swiftly.

At 4:30 sharp we could see the papal motorcade arrive at the front of the seminary on the two “jumbo-tron” monitors on the sides of the stage. The first event was held inside the chapel. There the Holy Father blessed several children suffering with severe disabilities and their caregivers. It was a moving service which provided a glimpse of what we might expect when we had our opportunity to be graced by his Holiness’ presence. Pope Benedict XVI showed a side of him that few have seen. He was deeply moved by the children and their afflictions. He slowly walked around the chapel, taking his time to greet, bless and embrace the children.

At 5:00 PM sharp (he is German, you know) the pope-mobile picked up His Holiness in front of the chapel for the short ride to the lower field. The crowd, now 25,000 strong yelled and shouted with excitement as this remarkable man closed in on the stage. He circled the perimeter of the field in his vehicle, waving and blessing all he encountered.

Just a few minutes later, as the organist played a moving prelude the Holy Father appeared, emerging from the rear of stage left to the roaring of the assembled. We all waved our yellow or white hankies (the colors of the Catholic flag) and he held his wide arms in a welcoming gesture. Here is where the Holy Father improvised from the script.

The crowd was so raucous and excited to see and eventually hear from him that he could not sit down. Instead he came down the stage and moved out on the two wings of the stage getting up close and personal to the throng assembled. It was an incredible moment. To me (and I’m sure most others) the Holy Father expressed his love for us as he slowly moved along the outskirts of the stage, waving, smiling and resonating his joy.

Once he made it back to his magnificent throne specially made for the event, he was serenaded with song and presentations by representatives of the youth gathered at the assembly. Again he went off script, choosing to rise and embrace all of the youth who spoke or appeared on stage. It was a moving moment and many tears were shed as His Holiness genuine love for humanity, especially the young, beamed through.

About half way through the two-hour event, His Holiness gave a reflection. His talk focused on how the saints exemplify what it means to be Disciples of Christ. How Jesus Christ is the truth and should inspire us all to proclaim Him as the way, the truth and the light of salvation to all we encounter. He warned against false ideologies, including moral relativism and materialism. He especially exhorted the young people to pursue prayer and silent dialogue with the Lord. Pope Benedict assured us that with a disciplined life of prayer we could regularly enter into meaningful dialogue with our Lord Jesus Christ.

He made a strong statement about relativism. He defined it as “a false truth which alleges that everything has an indiscriminate value and claims to assure freedom and liberate conscience.” The Pope stated correctly that this flawed ideal instead can mislead us into despair and addiction. He proclaimed “truth is not an imposition, or a set of rules, instead it is the discovery of the One who never fails us; the One who we can always trust. The truth is a person: Jesus Christ.” At this moment, the great silence that fell upon the thousands gathered when His Holiness began to speak changed into an affirmative roar of applause and vocal affirmation!

After the Pope finished his remarks, we sang the Litany of the Saints, in tribute to the community in heaven the surrounds us in prayer. Soon the rally would be over.

Before imparting the Apostolic Blessing, the Pope had one more impulsive action in him. He again came down the ramps on either side of the stage to greet the crowds. This time he really paused and slowly moved around the wings to greet us. At this time I was able to look into his eyes for a good while. His smile resonated joy and his eyes expressed the love that is deep within his heart for all of us: the flock he shepherds. It was a moving moment that I will never forget.

Pope Benedict waved goodbye and blessed us from the throne. The pope-mobile took him back to the front of the seminary after he again circled the outskirts of the field. It was the completion of a memorable day of joyful hope and anticipation of a most excellent visit from the Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, the successor of St. Peter, the Vicar of Christ on earth. Our Holy Father did not disappoint!

For more information, follow this link to video streams of all the Papal events:

http://www.uspapalvisit.org/video_audio.htm

Or for the text of his homilies and speeches:

http://www.uspapalvisit.org/index.htm