On this happy day

This morning I set out for the south lawn of the White House in hopes to help greet the Holy Father upon his arrival at the residence of the President and First Lady, and to wish him a happy and blessed 81st birthday.

Upon arriving at the White House I saw a very large line of people moving rather quickly, quietly and calming toward the south lawn, still about two blocks away. It became very clear that this was the way to go, but it also appeared that most of those in the line were holding tickets. I asked one of the police officers standing nearby – all of whom I encountered were very pleasant and happy – and she told me that I did, indeed, need a ticket for the greeting and welcome ceremonies.

I expected this might be the case when I left the monastery, but I left nonetheless.

I almost headed back to the monastery for a couple of hours, thinking I would head out later to greet the Pope Benedict XVI along the road to the Apostolic Nunciature (I’ve been there one. The building is grand the Nuncio very pleasant and friendly).

But then the thought occurred to me that, since I was already so close to where the “Popemobile” route would begin, that I should walk around to the other side of the White House and take a look at how crowded Pennsylvania Avenue already was.

It didn’t look too bad so I decided to head up Pennsylvania Avenue to find a spot to greet the Pontiff. The sidewalks between 17th and 19th streets were filled with Hispanic pilgrims, most of whom seemed to be associated in some way with the Neocatechumenal Way.



After 9th Street the sidewalks emptied considerably, almost entirely, really, so I decided that was the place to park myself.

I stopped at a Starbucks – there wasn’t much in the that area that I could see – for some baked goods and plopped myself down along Pennsylvania Avenue between 19th and 20th Streets, directly across from the Mexican Embassy. This was about 9:10 a.m. and the Holy Father would not be passing by for another three hours.

At 9:26 a.m. this part of Pennsylvania Avenue began to start filling up and the energy of the crowd closer to the White House was clearly heard. The one song – and I mean one and only song – sung throughout the morning was something like, “Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, resucito,” repeated ad nauseum. If I never hear that song again I will be quite happy. Three hours of it is simply too much!

At 9:40 a.m., after being swarmed and surrounded by a group of Hispanics from the Neocatechumenal Way, who very rudely planted their unusually large banner without poles to elevate it, directly in front of me, entirely blocking my field of vision for – quite honestly – five feet on either side of me. I decided to get away from them and moved up Pennsylvania Avenue toward 20th Street where it was still calm and where only a few caucasians were settled.

Much to my surprise, this was the only part of the day in which I experienced any part of the rudeness of a crowd.

I certainly don’t mean this to sound racist; it was precisely what happened. There was a stark contrast between the small area not resounding with Spanish music. It was much quieter, calmer, and peaceful. Even the police noticed this and about the time I moved up, so did many of them.

As time went on more and more people gathered on the side of the street opposite me – the side with the Starbucks – but on my side it remained rather quiet and empty, which pleased me.


About an hour after I moved further up, two local ladies also moved up seeking a quieter and more peaceful vantage point.

We chatted for a little while and I then I went back to reading Benedict of Bavaria (I’ve only read the Introduction and the first chapter as yet, but I can already tell this will be an excellent biography of the Holy Father).


About 10:30 a.m. or so, a delightful woman who works for the Red Cross joined me on the sidewalk and we spent the next hour and a half chatting away.


To my surprise, the three hours of waiting for the Holy Father passed rather quickly, without any real opportunity for boredom. There was plenty to do: talk with people around you, listen to repetitive singing, watch the sidewalks fill up and the police move around, listen to those selling their wares waiting for a good bargain and, where I was at least, talk with the police.


The officers near my little place on the sidewalk were wonderful! At one point they even led the sidewalks in “the wave” trying to get a little friendly competition going between each side of the street. After the Pope went by and the crowd began to disperse, one of the officers who has been on the force for twenty years asked why all of the crowds couldn’t be like this one. He said that we were, far and away, the best crowd he’s ever been with.


This same officer introduced me to the Chaplain of the Washington Police Force, a Monsignor whose name I can’t recall. The officer told me that when the chaplain was named a Cardinal I could come and become the chaplain. The story must have gone around because the Monsignor came over on his motorcycle and told me to forget about it; he loves his ministry and has no intention of giving it up.

I'm very grateful for the good work of the police force. Thank you!Along Pennsylvania Avenue, I’m not sure if much work was accomplished today, despite the great many people in the office buildings. Many of the workers were up on the roofs, on the balconies, and at the windows of their offices.

I’m sure there are other things I could pass on to you but I can’t think of what they are at the moment. All in all, the whole experience on the sidewalk was a joy, and really seemed like something out of a movie.

When the Holy Father finally passed us, the crowd erupted in cheers and the great joy and happiness of everyone present was very obvious. As the Popemobile rolled along, Pope Benedict XVI leaned from one side to the other so that he could greet the pilgrims on either side of the road. Sometimes I wondered if he wouldn’t lean right out!

Afterwards I decided to try to hop my way via the Metro closer to the Nunciature to see the Holy Father again. I wasn't successful, but on the way I met two very nice photography students who were hoping to do the same.

More pictures will soon be available.