The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity stand with the 70 million Roman Catholics and many others preparing to welcome Pope Benedict XVI on his journey to the United States. Two of our Sisters will be present for the Eucharistic liturgy at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City and another among the faithful gathered at the new Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.. All of us will be following our Holy Father’s travel itinerary through various media knowing that this is a time to renew our faith and deepen our hope as we strive to follow in the footsteps of Jesus in our world.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis has created extensive educational resources to help Catholics of all ages learn more about the papacy, the mission of the pope and why Pope Benedict’s U.S. visit is important. Visit these sites: http://www.uspapalvisit.org/holy_father.htm; www.adw.org/papalvisit (The pictures included in this posting were taken at St. Patrick Cathedral on April 19, 2008 by Sister Mariadele Jacobs, OSF.)
Needless to say, Pope Benedict XVI is a peripatetic teacher traveling to seven significant places outside of Italy in less than three years. He is quoted: “Only from the saints, only from God, does true revolution come, the definitive way to change the world.” Called to be followers of Jesus at this time in history, comment on what this papal visit means to you.
