Canonization Mass

On October 21, 2012, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Marianne Cope, Jacques Berthieu, Pedro Calungsod, Giovanna Battista Piamarta, Maria Carmen Salles Y Barangueras and Anna Schaffer were declared saints!!! And Georgie and I were there to be part of the special day!! (Sadly, George was in Athens.) How amazing to be present when the Pope "declares and defines" these holy men and women to be Saints!!

Also our being seated where we where was a minor miracle and the hero of the day is Frater Alan, a very persistent Norbertine priest.

Early in the morning, Georgie, Mercedes and I walked to the Vatican where we were to meet Mercedes' brother's confreres so we could pick up our tickets and go to the mass with them. By the time we all got in line (or to be honest did the Italian thing and cut most of the line), we were told that we would not be able to enter the piazza and get inside the barriers for the mass (forget seats we just wanted to go in!).

As you can see tons of people were at the mass!

Frater Alan, one of the Norbertians, decided that he was going to try to get us in despite the odds. He asked a few of the volunteers if we could please get into the piazza and they just looked at him like he was crazy. Mercedes and I were both willing to give up but Frater Alan wanted to try to ask the Swiss Guard if we could enter since Mercedes was pregnant and I had little George. We all knew that the likelihood of it working was slim but as he said it does not hurt to ask. So we noticed an entrance guarded by the Swiss Guard with no line (the VIP line for the cardinals and such as were told as we approached.) But Frater Alan went up to a Swiss Guard at the entrance, pointed to me carrying little George and to a visibly pregnant Mercedes, and the Swiss Guard let us in!!! Frater Alan did this two more time to get us to where the seats were and then he marched us right up to the front. He again went to an official, pointed to us and the man found us seats about 4 rows from the front of the second section. (The first section was for VIP's, whose entrance we had come in, but who we were not actually part of.)

We ended up sitting next to a group of Dominican sisters from Nashville and one sister who took the name Kateri when she entered, after now St. Kateri Tekakwitha!! It was such an honor to share in such a special moment with her. She actually is part of the ND ACE program (small world) and teaches 7th grade. Her 7th graders last year raised money so that she and another sister could come to the canonization. What amazing kids! She is an amazing sister and I really enjoyed getting to know her.

The mass was beautiful!! There were booklets that were given out that translated all of the mass into English and we had Frater Alan and Sr. Kateri pointing out certain things to us making the experience that much richer.

After the rite of canonization, two people for each saint approached the Pope and the altar  presenting relics of each saint.

Pope Benedict XVI spoke about each saint sharing a bit about his or her life. You should read about them if you have the chance, these men and women are truly inspiring. This is a part of the Pope's homily:

"'The Son of Man came to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many' (cf. Mk 10:45) These words were the blueprint for living of the seven Blessed men and women that the Church solemnly enrolls this morning in the glorious ranks of the saints. With heroic courage they spent their lives in total consecration to the Lord and in the generous service of their brethren. They are sons and daughters of the Church who chose a life of service following the Lord. Holiness always rises up in the Church from the well-spring of the mystery of redemption, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah in the first reading: the Servant of the Lord is the righteous one who 'shall make many to be accounted as righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities' (Is 53:11); this Servant is Jesus Christ, crucified, risen and living in glory. Today’s canonization is an eloquent confirmation of this mysterious saving reality. The tenacious profession of faith of these seven generous disciples of Christ, their configuration to the Son of Man shines out brightly today in the whole Church."

From left to right: St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Maria Carmen Salles Y Barangueras, St Pedro Calungsod, St. Jacques Berthieu, St. Giovanni Battista Piamarta, St Marianne Cope, St. Anne Schaffer

At the end of mass and after the Angelus, the Pope was driven around in his Popemobile through the piazza and we were a few feet away from him. I did my fair share of pushing and taking advantage of little George's presence to get to the front of the barricade but I did it. I hoisted little George on top of my shoulders so he was the tallest thing around except for the Pope who was standing in the Popemobile so maybe the Pope looked at Georgie!!

Mercedes, who was right next to me, took these without using the zoom!

Needless to say I walked away from St. Peter's with a huge grin on my face and in awe of the whole morning! What an amazing day!

From left to right: Sr. Kateri, Mercedes, Frater Alan and a not very attractive me trying to get little George to look at the camera