Weston Forum
Westonites feel blessed by Pope’s visit
May 2, 2008

Teens from St. Francis of Assisi Church in Weston, including Mike Odierna, David DeMattio, and Alex Curran, attended a youth rally with Pope Benedict XVI in New York.

by Patricia Gay

Westonites who traveled to New York City to see Pope Benedict XVI last week called the event a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

On Sunday, April 20, the pope concluded a six-day trip to Washington, D.C., and New York City with a papal Mass at Yankee Stadium. Catholic dioceses throughout the country held special lotteries to provide tickets to parishioners wanting to attend the event.

Carolyn Doody, a secretary at St. Francis of Assisi Church on Norfield Road, was one of the lucky ones who attended the Mass.

“It was spiritually uplifting. When it was over, we didn’t want to leave,” she said.

She called the pre-Mass concert featuring Weston’s own José Feliciano, plus Harry Connick Jr., and dancing doves, “a beautiful experience.”

But the highlight of the day was seeing Pope Benedict, the leader of the Catholic Church. “He is such a humble man. He seems so kind,” Ms. Doody said.

The group from Weston had a good view of the Mass with seats a level above third base. Earlier that morning, parishioners in the county gathered in Norwalk to board special buses to the Bronx. “We got there very early,” Ms. Doody said.

She said when they arrived at Yankee Stadium, there was a lot of security to go through, then everyone was given a package with yellow or white handkerchiefs to wave.

During the Mass, Ms. Doody thought the pope did a great job encouraging Catholics to bring Jesus back into their lives. “He apologized up front about the sexual abuse scandals. And he was trying to evangelize and get people to come back to the church,” she said.

At the end of the event, she said, she had a strong feeling of peace. “You just wanted to stay because you were so happy inside,” she said.

Youth

Brenda DeMattio, the youth minister at St. Francis, attended both the papal Mass on Sunday and a special youth rally with the pope held the day before at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, N.Y. She brought 13 teens from the youth group at St. Francis with her to the rally.

“I was ridiculously doubly blessed,” Ms. DeMattio said about having the opportunity to see the pope twice.

Of the two events, she said the youth rally was especially personal because the atmosphere was more relaxed and less structured than at the Mass.

The group from Weston arrived at 7 a.m. and they were some of the first to arrive. They secured a spot on the lawn near the front. In all, approximately 26,000 attended the rally.

“We were close, at one point about 60 feet from the pope, right behind the seminarians,” Ms. DeMattio said.

Around 5 p.m., Pope Benedict arrived. He spoke about his struggles as a child dealing with the Nazi regime, and his message seemed to touch the kids at the rally, Ms. DeMattio said. “He told about how horrific his own youth was, and told the kids to embrace the freedoms they have, including the freedom of choice and the ability to exercise their freedom of faith,” she said.

Around 10 p.m., the group left to come back to Weston. “It was a long day, but it was all wiped away the minute the pope was there,” Ms. DeMattio said.

‘Incredible’

Ashley Cordisco and Michael Odierna, both 18 and seniors at Weston High School, went to the rally with Ms. DeMattio.

Seeing the pope was something Ashley hoped to do someday, but she never thought it would happen when she was so young. “Having this opportunity at this time in my life was just incredible,” she said.

She said the pope made a big impression on her and others at the rally. “Some people next to us were screaming with joy. I was speechless,” she said.

Although the pope was difficult to understand at times because of his strong German accent, his message was clear and at times touching, Ashley said. “He spoke about prayer and how important it is to develop your own relationship with God,” she said.

Michael said he, too, was moved by the experience. “When Kelly Clarkson sang Ave Maria, people started to cry,” he said.

He said the pope seemed different to him than how he was presented in the media. “You see this person glorified on TV, but in person it was a different story. The pope was very warm,” he said.

Michael believes the pope’s strongest message to the youth was that while Catholics are law-abiding, they need to remember they are a people of joy, too.

“The whole experience was just amazing,” he said.

© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers