Several dozen members of the Springfield diocese are looking forward to seeing Pope Benedict XVI in person when he makes his historic first papal visit to the United States later this month. Most of them will be seeing the Holy Father in New York, while a few will participate in a Mass and/or meetings with him in Washington, D.C.
On April 16, Pope Benedict will meet and pray with 350 bishops (with Bishop George J. Lucas among them) at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. April 16 is also the pope's 81st birthday.
Four diocesan priests will also be flying to Washington to take part in a Mass with Pope Benedict. Fathers John Burnette, Chris Comerford, Dean Probst and Daren Zehnle will be attending the April 17 Mass and representing the Springfield diocesan church with Bishop Lucas.
The Mass, held on the pope's second full day in Washington, will be celebrated at Nationals Park, Washington's brand new baseball stadium. An estimated 46,000 people are expected to attend.
Requests from bishops and priests to attend the Mass have been so numerous that by mid March all seats available for concelebrants had already been allotted, noted Msgr. Barry Knestout, who is vicar for administration for the Archdiocese of Washington.
The four priests attending the Washington Mass represent a variety of ages and years in the priesthood. A diocesan priest for nearly 23 years, Father Burnette recently completed a six-year enlistment as a chaplain for the U.S. Navy. His last assignments in the diocese were as pastor of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield and director of the Office for the Missions.
Father Comerford was ordained almost 12 years ago. He is presently pastor of St. Louis Parish in Nokomis and St. Maurice Parish in Morrisonville.
Father Probst has been a diocesan priest for almost 27 years. He is pastor of St. Jude Parish in Rochester, and a diocesan judge in the Office for the Tribunal.
The youngest priest attending the Washington Mass, Father Zehnle was ordained May 28, 2005 and is parochial vicar at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Effingham. He also plans to be in New York to see the pope.
Jean Johnson, superintendent of Catholic schools, won't be at the Mass in Washington, but she will be attending a meeting with Pope Benedict at Catholic University on the evening of April 17. She'll be one of about 400 individuals who will be with the Holy Father, who will be speaking to 195 Catholic school superintendents and representatives of 200 Catholic colleges.
"I am extremely excited to be going to Washington. I've never seen a pope except on TV," Johnson said. "It was just before Christmas when Bishop Lucas asked me if I would be interested in going to this meeting. I didn't know whether to cry or smile. I am getting more and more excited as the time to go gets closer. I know this visit will be one of the most thrilling things I'll do in my lifetime."
Following his Washington visit, Pope Benedict will fly to New York on April 18. Among other events he will celebrate a Mass for priests and religious sisters and brothers at St. Patrick's Cathedral on April 19, which is the third anniversary of his election as pope.
On April 20, the Holy Father will celebrate a 2:30 p.m. Mass for 57,000 people at Yankee Stadium. Among those attending will be nearly 40 people from the Springfield diocese. Youth minister Becky Bauerle and several other adults are taking a fairly large youth group to New York. Besides attending the papal Mass the youth and chaperones, who hail from several different areas, will visit ground zero and Ellis Island to see the Statue of Liberty.
"Twenty-nine of us are going. We're leaving Effingham by bus at 6 p.m. on Friday and returning home Monday morning, so it is going to be a really quick trip for us," said Bauerle, who has had the opportunity to see Pope Benedict two times before. Bauerle also saw Pope John Paul II in St. Louis in 1999.
Other people from the Springfield diocese who will be attending the Mass in New York are Robert and Helen Collins from Immaculate Conception Parish in Mattoon, and Gene and Dina Velchek and their three children from Holy Family Parish in Decatur.
Additionally, Mary Kay Weidner from St. Patrick Parish in Decatur obtained Mass tickets as a wedding gift for her grandson. Newlyweds Andrew and Lindsey Drysdale who live in Washington, will be attending the celebration at Yankee Stadium the day after their wedding.
Pope Benedict's Mass at Yankee Stadium is his last public appearance in this initial trip to the United States. He'll be leaving for Rome that evening.