Friday, April 25, 2008
Pope Fest 2008
Singing along to: Simon & Garfunkel, Blessed
A week ago yesterday, I stood on the lawn outside the student center, waving my tiny white and gold flag in one hand, raising my camera in the other, and cheering Pope Benedict XVI as he entered the building to deliver his address on Catholic education. It was an interesting speech, especially since I am a product of Catholic education from my first day of preschool until now. Almost more exciting than the speech itself, however, was the fact that he was delivering it on our campus, while bishops and university presidents from all over the country sat in the audience, and we watched it simulcast on a huge projection screen on the lawn.
After the address was over, he left the Pryz in the pope mobile and we cheered and snapped pictures and waved our flags and signs some more. They told us that Regina Caeli is one of his favorite songs, so we sang it, off-key, out of sync, and in stumbling Latin, but still: how often do you get the chance to sing anything for the Pope as he rides through your campus?
I mentioned the Westboro Baptists in my last post about the Pope's visit, and I'm happy to say they were a complete non-factor in the day. The Secret Service kept them far away from anywhere they would see the Pope, and while a few of them camped outside Nationals Stadium to helpfully remind us all of our impending damnation, a friend who was at that Mass said that no one gave them a second glance. I believe in peaceful protest and counter-protest, but maybe in this case, peacefully walking right by was the best option of all.
(Although, a point of interest relating to the comments on that post: “God is love” actually comes from the first letter of John (4:16) and that is the phrase with which the Holy Father opened his encyclical Deus Caritas Est, which is Latin for the same.)
A week ago yesterday, I stood on the lawn outside the student center, waving my tiny white and gold flag in one hand, raising my camera in the other, and cheering Pope Benedict XVI as he entered the building to deliver his address on Catholic education. It was an interesting speech, especially since I am a product of Catholic education from my first day of preschool until now. Almost more exciting than the speech itself, however, was the fact that he was delivering it on our campus, while bishops and university presidents from all over the country sat in the audience, and we watched it simulcast on a huge projection screen on the lawn.
After the address was over, he left the Pryz in the pope mobile and we cheered and snapped pictures and waved our flags and signs some more. They told us that Regina Caeli is one of his favorite songs, so we sang it, off-key, out of sync, and in stumbling Latin, but still: how often do you get the chance to sing anything for the Pope as he rides through your campus?
I mentioned the Westboro Baptists in my last post about the Pope's visit, and I'm happy to say they were a complete non-factor in the day. The Secret Service kept them far away from anywhere they would see the Pope, and while a few of them camped outside Nationals Stadium to helpfully remind us all of our impending damnation, a friend who was at that Mass said that no one gave them a second glance. I believe in peaceful protest and counter-protest, but maybe in this case, peacefully walking right by was the best option of all.
(Although, a point of interest relating to the comments on that post: “God is love” actually comes from the first letter of John (4:16) and that is the phrase with which the Holy Father opened his encyclical Deus Caritas Est, which is Latin for the same.)
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