Here Comes the Pope
Planning a regular Sunday parish liturgy is a challenge. There are rubrics to read, logistics to consider, ministers to schedule, prayers to write, music to choose and rehearsals to conduct. But coordinating a televised papal liturgy is quite a feat. That is the task faced by planners in three U.S. cities as they anticipate the arrival of Pope Francis.
Pope Francis will spend six days in the United States next month, from Tuesday, September 22 to Sunday, September 27. The Pope will begin his first U.S. visit in Washington D.C. on the 22nd, move on to New York on the 24th and then travel to Philadelphia on the 26th for the culmination of the World Meeting of Families.
Francis will participate in several liturgical services throughout his trip, but the two largest will be public Masses in Washington on September 23 at 4:15pm, and in Philadelphia on September 27 at 4:00pm.
The Mass in Washington will take place on the East Portico of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The Mass will include the canonization of Blessed Junípero Serra, a Franciscan friar who founded the first Spanish missions in California in the 1700s. This will mark the first time a saint will be canonized in the United States. According to Fr. Mark Knestout, who is leading the planning effort for that Mass, much of the liturgy will reflect the life of Junípero Serra. The majority of the Mass will be celebrated in Spanish and one of the readings will be proclaimed in a Native American dialect that was in use when Serra was alive. The music will be multilingual and will be comprised of 500 choir and orchestra members.
The Mass in Philadelphia will take place on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Fr. Dennis Gill, Director for the Office of Worship in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia says they expect a crowd of about 800,000 people. “We will have 1,500 communion stations alone,” Gill said. The main parts of the Mass will be in Latin with other parts in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. A choir of 500 along with the Philadelphia Orchestra will lead the music.
There are no tickets necessary for the Mass in Philadelphia. The public is welcome. However, tickets are required to attend the Mass in Washington. For the majority of people, the best seats will be at home in front of the television.
