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A crowd of more than 57,000 is anticipated to attend a papal Mass at Yankee Stadium led by Pope Benedict XVI, including a few Catholics from the Greater Little Falls area, scheduled for Sunday.
The Pope celebrated his birthday at a the White House earlier this week, and was scheduled to visit Ground Zero in New York City during the visit. Benedict will be the third pope to celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium, following Pope Paul VI in 1965 and Pope John Paul II in 1979.
Those winning a lottery drawing, of which 3,000 names were entered at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, have had a background security check done on them and will have to bring a picture identification card. Cameras and cell phones will be allowed, according to diocese officials. The random lottery tickets are free for those selected. The Albany Diocese raffled out just 500.
Kathleen DeCarlo and her husband, Robert, a podiatrist with Slocum-Dickson, entered the lottery to attend the event in January, and they were informed that they would be attending on February 22.
“I’m very excited,” Kathleen, a freelance court reporter, said. “I think it’s going to be very spiritual. We went to the Vatican about six years ago and the Pope wasn’t there.”
Kathleen said she spoke to Father Mark Cunningham at her church, St. Francis de Sales in Herkimer.
“He’s really excited for us,” she said. “We had quite the conversation. I got a lot of knowledge from him.”
The DeCarlos are bringing several sacramental medals to be blessed for friends of theirs.
Cynthia Otrupcak and her mother, Katherine, of Little Falls, anticipate the visit earnestly.
“It will be a beautiful experience to meet Pope Benedict XVI and to see him,” said Cynthia, “and we’re very excited to be chosen. He’s the leader of our Catholic church and we look forward to being there and being blessed.”
This will be a very close experience for the Otrupcaks, who attend Holy Family Parish in Little Falls, with Father Anthony Ligato presiding.
“My mother and I did meet Mother Teresa in New York City in 1997, so this is like another milestone in our lives, to see the Pope,” Cynthia said.
Winning the lottery, said Francis and Angela Dunning of Herkimer, was better than winning the New York State Lottery.
“It was unbelievable when we found out,” said Francis. “It was better than winning the New York State Lottery because we could always spend money, but we may never have a chance to see the Pope again.”
The Dunnings, who also attend St. Francis de Sales, were notified that they had been chosen on January 28. A feeling of joy overcame the couple, who had attempted to see Pope John Paul II a few years ago, just months before the then sickly pope passed away.
“He was too sick to get out, and see the people when we were in Italy,” Francis said. “This is a once in a lifetime experience for us, and we’re very excited. It’s quite an early morning to get up there, but it will certainly be worth it.”
In this area, those selected from the lottery will meet at Auriesville Shrine and take buses to the stadium.
Also attending from the area are Mary Ellen and Rebecca Clark of Herkimer. Members of St. Francis de Sales, Mary Ellen, Herkimer High School nurse, could not believe it when she saw the letter from The Evangelist on January 28.
“It was so thin that I thought it was The Evangelist thanking me for entering. When it said congratulations, I just couldn’t believe it,” Mary Ellen said ecstatically. “My hands were shaking.”
Her daughter, Rebecca, 20, is a senior at Herkimer County Community College. Applicants could only put two names on the form for the lottery, and because you have to be 18 or older to attend, Mary Ellen was not subject to choosing which child to bring. Her son is only 16.
“I called Father Cunningham right away, and we were the second phone call he’d received that day,” she said. “We’re so thrilled. We still can’t believe it.”
Mary Ellen said that she was grateful to attend what she called a once in a lifetime experience.
“I don’t know how I got so lucky,” she said. I know it’s random happen-stance, but I feel so lucky to spend the day with my daughter seeing the Pope, at Yankee Stadium! Just to be a part of the motion and the real history is just amazing.”
According to Yankees.com, about 800 buses — including 10 from the Albany Diocese — will arrive at Yankee Stadium for an April 20 papal Mass, the largest number of buses ever to arrive at a single site in New York City. There will be 800 concelebrants — cardinals, bishops and priests — on the altar, and 550 more priests in the stands to distribute communion.
Before the papal Mass, a “Concert of Hope” will feature several celebrity musicians, including Jose Feliciano, Stephanie Mills, Harry Connick Jr., Marcello Giordano and Irish singer Dana (who also sang for Pope John Paul II). The doors to the stadium lock at 12 p.m. and Mass will not begin until after 2 p.m.
A crowd of more than 57,000 is anticipated to attend a papal Mass at Yankee Stadium led by Pope Benedict XVI, including a few Catholics from the Greater Little Falls area, scheduled for Sunday.
The Pope celebrated his birthday at a the White House earlier this week, and was scheduled to visit Ground Zero in New York City during the visit. Benedict will be the third pope to celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium, following Pope Paul VI in 1965 and Pope John Paul II in 1979.
Those winning a lottery drawing, of which 3,000 names were entered at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, have had a background security check done on them and will have to bring a picture identification card. Cameras and cell phones will be allowed, according to diocese officials. The random lottery tickets are free for those selected. The Albany Diocese raffled out just 500.
Kathleen DeCarlo and her husband, Robert, a podiatrist with Slocum-Dickson, entered the lottery to attend the event in January, and they were informed that they would be attending on February 22.
“I’m very excited,” Kathleen, a freelance court reporter, said. “I think it’s going to be very spiritual. We went to the Vatican about six years ago and the Pope wasn’t there.”
Kathleen said she spoke to Father Mark Cunningham at her church, St. Francis de Sales in Herkimer.
“He’s really excited for us,” she said. “We had quite the conversation. I got a lot of knowledge from him.”
The DeCarlos are bringing several sacramental medals to be blessed for friends of theirs.
Cynthia Otrupcak and her mother, Katherine, of Little Falls, anticipate the visit earnestly.
“It will be a beautiful experience to meet Pope Benedict XVI and to see him,” said Cynthia, “and we’re very excited to be chosen. He’s the leader of our Catholic church and we look forward to being there and being blessed.”
This will be a very close experience for the Otrupcaks, who attend Holy Family Parish in Little Falls, with Father Anthony Ligato presiding.
“My mother and I did meet Mother Teresa in New York City in 1997, so this is like another milestone in our lives, to see the Pope,” Cynthia said.
Winning the lottery, said Francis and Angela Dunning of Herkimer, was better than winning the New York State Lottery.
“It was unbelievable when we found out,” said Francis. “It was better than winning the New York State Lottery because we could always spend money, but we may never have a chance to see the Pope again.”
The Dunnings, who also attend St. Francis de Sales, were notified that they had been chosen on January 28. A feeling of joy overcame the couple, who had attempted to see Pope John Paul II a few years ago, just months before the then sickly pope passed away.
“He was too sick to get out, and see the people when we were in Italy,” Francis said. “This is a once in a lifetime experience for us, and we’re very excited. It’s quite an early morning to get up there, but it will certainly be worth it.”
In this area, those selected from the lottery will meet at Auriesville Shrine and take buses to the stadium.
Also attending from the area are Mary Ellen and Rebecca Clark of Herkimer. Members of St. Francis de Sales, Mary Ellen, Herkimer High School nurse, could not believe it when she saw the letter from The Evangelist on January 28.
“It was so thin that I thought it was The Evangelist thanking me for entering. When it said congratulations, I just couldn’t believe it,” Mary Ellen said ecstatically. “My hands were shaking.”
Her daughter, Rebecca, 20, is a senior at Herkimer County Community College. Applicants could only put two names on the form for the lottery, and because you have to be 18 or older to attend, Mary Ellen was not subject to choosing which child to bring. Her son is only 16.
“I called Father Cunningham right away, and we were the second phone call he’d received that day,” she said. “We’re so thrilled. We still can’t believe it.”
Mary Ellen said that she was grateful to attend what she called a once in a lifetime experience.
“I don’t know how I got so lucky,” she said. I know it’s random happen-stance, but I feel so lucky to spend the day with my daughter seeing the Pope, at Yankee Stadium! Just to be a part of the motion and the real history is just amazing.”
According to Yankees.com, about 800 buses — including 10 from the Albany Diocese — will arrive at Yankee Stadium for an April 20 papal Mass, the largest number of buses ever to arrive at a single site in New York City. There will be 800 concelebrants — cardinals, bishops and priests — on the altar, and 550 more priests in the stands to distribute communion.
Before the papal Mass, a “Concert of Hope” will feature several celebrity musicians, including Jose Feliciano, Stephanie Mills, Harry Connick Jr., Marcello Giordano and Irish singer Dana (who also sang for Pope John Paul II). The doors to the stadium lock at 12 p.m. and Mass will not begin until after 2 p.m.
