He came, he prayed & he enraptured

As millions of people came together to hear the message of hope of Pope Benedict XVI on his visit to the city, some of Queens’ faithful had the opportunity of a lifetime to see him in person. “It was amazing,” said Christopher Jordan, 10, the student from Divine Mercy Catholic Academy in Ozone Park, who along with Kaitlin Karcher, 13, from Our Lady of Grace in Howard Beach, greeted the Pontiff and presented him with flowers upon his arrival at John F. Kennedy Airport on Friday, April 18. “It’s not something that happens every day. It was the most exciting thing in the whole world, a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Scott Jordan, Christopher’s dad and a Knight of the Holy Sepulcher himself, said that, at almost the last minute, he was informed that he would be joining his son.
“At first only my wife [Phyllis] was invited,” he said. “Then, out of the blue, we got a call telling us that not only fathers and mothers [could go], but both principals [Sister Francis, principal of Divine Mercy Catholic Academy and Barbara Kavanagh, principal of Our Lady of Grace] and both pastors. From what I understand they were trying to teach family values.”
Jordan said that, in order to gain admittance, each person was required to provide his passport and three pieces of photo identification. Additionally, background checks were performed.
On April 18, Jordan said, the day began early - at 6 a.m. Sister Francis, Monsignor Wielunski and Father Thomas Mihalski had breakfast at his house and the group left by 6:30.
By 6:50, they had arrived at JFK’s hangar 19.
“As soon as we parked, a Secret Service golf cart pulled up and took Christopher,” said Jordan. “They put him in a holding area with Kaitlin.”
The rest got settled in their reserved seats - first row behind the barricades.
At 9:25 a.m., Jordan said, Shepherd I touched down.
“As soon as the plane landed we saw Secret Service, Cardinal Edward Egan, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and Bishop Frank Caggiano [ready to greet the Pontiff],” he recalled. “The door opened and the Pontiff came out, waved and wiggled his fingers.”
Bishop DiMarzio presented Kaitlin and Christopher, who were instructed not to bow, curtsy or kiss the Pope’s ring. The pair gave Pope Benedict the flowers and welcomed him to America. As he proceeded down the red carpet, Jordan said, “the kids were left on the tarmac.”
“But Bishop Caggiano went back, put his arms around them and walked them off the tarmac, all the while talking to them,” said Jordan, who noted that for this, he is extremely grateful.
Kavanagh, who said she was proud of the poise Karcher exhibited in greeting the Pope, said that the experience was an emotional one for her.
Karcher, she explained, was wearing a medallion for her daughter, who has been ill, in the hopes that, in the Pope’s presence, it would be blessed.
“I was shaking,” said Kavanagh. “I was not prepared for my reaction.”
Though Kavanagh’s faith has always been strong - she attends Mass regularly - she said that the Pope’s visit “humanized him” in a way.
“He made a great connection between the American Catholic Church and himself,” she said. “People got to see him in a different light. This showed he has warmth and grace. I felt a sense of peace in his presence and I took away a [deeper] connection with him.”
Immediately following his arrival from Washington on April 18, Pope Benedict XVI traveled to the United Nations, where he was greeted by a standing ovation and addressed the UN General Assembly.
In a historical move, he then became the first Pontiff to visit a U.S. synagogue, the Park East Synagogue.
“By reaching out, it showed that we have to come together,” said Maria Elrose of the Pope’s meeting with those of the Jewish faith.
A teacher at St. Helen in Howard Beach and the wife of the newly-ordained deacon at St. Helen, Rick Elrose, said that seeing the Pope “was the most spiritual experience you could have.”
The couple received tickets to the Pope’s Mass at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, April 20 through the Deacon Program.
Prior to Sunday’s open-air service, on Saturday, April 19, the Pope celebrated the sacrifice of the Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where about 3,000 clergy were gathered, and where, once again, he addressed “the sexual abuse that has caused so much suffering” (©2008 Libreria Editrice Vaticana).
“Here I simply wish to assure you, dear priests and religious, of my spiritual closeness as you strive to respond with Christian hope to the continuing challenges that this situation presents,” said Pope Benedict. “I join you in praying that this will be a time of purification for each and every particular church and religious community, and a time for healing” (©2008 Libreria Editrice Vaticana).
“I was glad he addressed it,” said Kavanagh of the Pope’s stance on the abuse. “People needed to hear his message. I feel they got a sense of closure.”
After traveling down Fifth Avenue in his Popemobile, the Holy See went to St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers to reach out to America’s youth.
At the rally of about 25,000 were three members of the St. Helen Youth Mass - Joe Spitaleri, Gabrielle Bruno and Caitlin O’Grady.
Before Sunday’s Mass, Pope Benedict paid a somber visit to Ground Zero, where he led a prayer to commemorate the 2,750 people who perished on 9/11.
“We ask you in your goodness to give eternal light and peace to all who died here - the heroic first responders: our firefighters, police officers, emergency service workers and Port Authority personnel, along with all the innocent men and women who were victims of this tragedy simply because their work or service brought them here on September 11, 2001,” he prayed (©2008 Libreria Editrice Vaticana).
At Yankee Stadium, he told the crowd of nearly 60,000, “Today’s celebration is more than an occasion of gratitude for graces received. It is also a summons to move forward with firm resolve to use wisely the blessings of freedom in order to build a future of hope for coming generations” (©2008 Libreria Editrice Vaticana).
Seated behind first base in the loge section, Elrose said, “It [the Mass] was absolutely beautiful. Everyone was peaceful. The amount of respect [was great]. For 57,000 people, you could hear a pin drop.”
“I’ve always been very close to God,” she continued. “[This experience] gave me strength and a feeling of community - everyone was there for the same reason, the love of God.”
Having been “uplifted” in seeing the Pope, Elrose said she also got a sense of awe in seeing the doves released. “It really set the tone,” she said.
After the Mass, the Pope waved to the crowds from the Popemobile before returning to JFK airport, where Vice President Dick Cheney saw him off and the St. Francis Prep Chamber Orchestra performed.
Robert Johnston, Director, said, “Just to be in his presence and to hear him speak and be involved in the event was very special. This is an experience they [the 22 student members] are going to be able to look back on their entire lives.”
Among the crowd of 4,000 was Damiana Testa, a member of the Parish Council of St. Luke’s Church in Whitestone.
“[Before the Pope arrived] Bishop Caggiano welcomed each one of us,” she said, explaining that, between the time her group got to JFK at about 4:30 p.m. and the Pope’s arrival at 8 p.m., the rosary was said “in many different languages” for the various ethnic groups represented.
“He [the Pontiff] told us we are a warm people,” she said. “And everyone was enthusiastic.”
“These days that I have spent in the United States have been blessed with many memorable experiences of American hospitality, and I wish to express my deep appreciation to all of you for your kind welcome,” said the Pope upon his departure. “It has been a joy for me to witness the faith and devotion of the Catholic community here. It was heartwarming to spend time with leaders and representatives of other Christian communities and other religions, and I renew my assurances of respect and esteem to all of you” (©2008 Libreria Editrice Vaticana).
And with a hearty “God bless America,” Pope Benedict XVI ended his whirlwind six-day trip to the U.S.
“We live in a difficult time, so people needed to hear his message of hope,” said Testa. “This was the right time to come. He appealed to the hearts of people. It was beautiful and energizing.”