DANVILLE — Knox County Catholics say they were pleased with Pope Benedict XVI’s recent visit to the United States.
“It was like a spiritual renewal seeing the Holy Father again,” said Nancy Shafer, who attends St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Mount Vernon and who saw Pope John Paul II three times during his tenure. She watched Benedict’s visit on television.
“The joy he brought, a kind of hope for all of us. It seemed like he was there for everybody. I watched him at the synagogue with our Jewish brothers, and that was so fine,” she said.
Judy Smith of St. Vincent watched the event unfold on television, too.
“I loved it,” she said. “I couldn’t stop watching and I bawled my eyes out all weekend. He gave such a spirit of peace. There’s something genuine about him. He was so sincere.”
“I was very impressed with the way he handled things,” said St. Vincent member Polly Clark. “And I was especially pleased to see him jump on the pedophile scandal and not sweep it under the rug. That impressed me.”
Smith said she was moved by Benedict’s visit to ground zero in New York City.
“His prayer there,” she said, “touched everything that I thought was important about 9-11. It was so articulate, so beautiful, so charming. There’s something genuine about him. He stressed the importance of prayer, and let us know that he needs our prayers, too.”
Smith said the organization of the visit was impressive.
“The music was phenomenal,” she said. “Whoever did the planning did a great job. Everything was so well done.”
“When he met with the people at ground zero,” added Shafer, “I really had a feeling as he knelt there that he was drinking in all the tragedy and feeling what those people felt who lost somebody there, that day we lost our security and knew we were so vulnerable. I wept through a lot of it. It was just so real.”
Shafer noted that Benedict himself seems “real.”
“His eyes would light up and dance. You could almost see the wheels going around. I thought he was really learning something from this experience. And he met with the victims of the [sex abuse] scandal, and I never thought that would ever happen.”
The Rev. F. Richard Snoke, who pastors St. Luke Catholic Church in Danville, went to Washington, D.C., on April 17 to take part in Benedict’s public Mass. He traveled with the Rev. Leo Connolly of Zanesville and the Rev. Shawn Corcoran of Columbus, fellow members of the Columbus Diocese.
Snoke, who has led St. Luke’s for 21 years and will have been an ordained priest for 43 years in May, said he was delighted with the chance to see the pope in person, if only from a distance, and to participate in the 10 a.m. Mass.
The three priests stayed in nearby Maryland the night before, then drove to the outskirts of Washington early the next morning and took the subway to the site of the Mass, Nationals Ballpark.
“There was a lot of excitement,” Snoke said. “We had to be there before 8 a.m. and by 8:30 be in our seats.”
He displayed the souvenirs he brought home: A tote bag with raincoat and water bottle that was given to every ticket holder, the $9 transit ticket — dubbed a “mass pass” — that allowed participants to ride the subway any number of times that day and the program booklet that called the event Benedict’s “Apostolic Journey to the United States.”
Snoke pointed to a newspaper photograph of the crowd of 40,000 from high above it.
“See this big glob of white [robed priests]?” he asked. “I’m one of those.”
He wore his white concelebrant alb (robe), as did the many other priests who, viewed en mass, made up the “white glob” in the photo. Snoke pointed out the pathway taken by the pope in his popemobile, a path that first curved around behind the audience, where Snoke was sitting in the next-to-last row.
“We were close enough that we could have almost touched him, but he didn’t get out of the popemobile,” Snoke said.
The Mass was one of ceremony and celebration. Bishops, cardinals and archbishops processed to the stage. There were choirs and singers, preludes and processions, rites in English, Latin and Spanish and the singing of the “Gloria.” The Knights of Columbus, in full regalia, served as ushers. The theme of the mass was “Make All New in Christ Our Hope.”
Because the priests present at the Mass were concelebrants, Snoke explained, when the pope consecrated the elements and, by transubstantiation, the bread and wine became the body and blood of Christ, all those ordained were co-celebrating the Mass with Benedict.
“This is a wonderful thing,” said Snoke. “We were celebrating Mass with the pope. I don’t think he does this too often in Rome. It was a very thrilling thing to serve Mass with the pope.”
Snoke said all ages were present, including little kids, old people, sisters and priests and brothers.
“The pope spoke in Spanish to the crowd, and that was a big hit,” said Snoke. “It was a glorious celebration.”
Snoke said he was impressed by Benedict’s message of hope, peace, values, freedom and taking care of those less fortunate, adding that occasionally he had trouble understanding Benedict’s heavy German accent.
“By the time he got through with his visit,” Snoke said, “he realized the diversity of America and its Catholicism. He went to a synagogue, met dignitaries and met with leaders of other faiths. He was making a strong statement to try to bring unity. That was very impressive. I think when he met with the other churches, that gave them the sense that they are important, too.
“I think it gives our Catholics and the country a positive hope because of all the problems we have. It’s good to know someone is saying the things that so many people need to hear, that the hope is staying close to God and living the gospel. And that we are all God’s special people.”
