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Philadelphia Catholics see Benedict XVI in New York

By David O'Reilly
Inquirer Staff Writer

NEW YORK - He was here as a visitor, but when Pope Benedict XVI stepped out of the home-team dugout at Yankee Stadium yesterday afternoon, the crowd roared.

About 3,000 of those voices belonged to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, whose members shouted and waved white kerchiefs as Benedict proceeded onto the field for the start of his farewell Mass.

It was the coolest and grayest day of Benedict's six-day visit to the United States, which took him to Washington on Tuesday and New York on Friday. He left for Rome yesterday evening.

Most of the Philadelphia "pilgrims" were seated on the upper deck to the left of home plate, with excellent views of the white, purple and gold altar erected at about second base.

"This is my third pope," said Katherine English, 57, of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament parish in Philadelphia. "I saw Paul VI in Rome in 1977, and John Paul in Philadelphia in 1979, so I didn't want to miss it. I wanted to see this pope."

Like English, most of the Philadelphia crowd had boarded buses about 7 a.m. for the 110-mile trek to the Bronx, and arrived at the "cathedral of baseball" shortly before 10.

"I've not seen him before," said Larry Donato of Media, who boarded a bus at West Catholic High School in West Philadelphia with his wife, Jean, and their 13-year-old daughter, Brenna.

"When John Paul came to Philadelphia in 1979, I didn't go see him. I've regretted it ever since."

The Donatos and others on the bus joined in a short prayer service as it made its way onto I-95.

Like most of the Philadelphia crowd, Donato and English got tickets through a parish lottery. The papal Mass was a special celebration of the creation of the Dioceses of New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Bardstown, or Louisville, Ky., 200 years ago this month.

Benedict began the day with a visit to ground zero, the site of the World Trade Center attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

There, he read a prayer that asked God to "heal . . . the pain of still-grieving families" and "turn to your way of love those whose hearts and minds are consumed with hatred."

It was a moment that Elsie Goss Caldwell, of Our Mother of Sorrows parish in West Philadelphia, would like to have witnessed.

"It would have been rewarding," she said, as she waited in the stadium bleachers for the pontiff to appear. "My son, Kenny, died in that," she said, and pulled open her wallet to show a photo of the 30-year-old she lost that day. "He had such a beautiful smile."

She said she came to New York hoping to feel the same peace she felt in 1993, when she saw John Paul arrive at World Youth Day in Colorado.

"John Paul was like a good friend," she said, adding that she did not "have a feel" yet for Benedict. "I'm hoping that when he arrives, I feel his presence."

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But the 41/2-hour wait was packed with entertainment, including dancers waving giant fabric doves in the wind, singers José Feliciano and Harry Connick Jr., an English boy choir, the Harlem Gospel Choir, Irish tenor Ronan Tynan belting out "God Bless America," and Italian tenor Marcello Giordani.

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Then, about 2:10, there was a roar as his "popemobile" emerged out onto left field, and began circling the infield.

"Benedicto!" cried Sister Stella Maris from the Mision Santa Maria in Avondale, Chester County, and in a moment all 57,000 were chanting with her.

The pontiff exited the popemobile and passed through the Yankees dugout to change into his Mass vestments, and emerged just after 2:30 to cheers.

In his homily, he acknowledged the creation of the four dioceses in 1808 out of what had been the national Diocese of Baltimore, and went on to praise the rise of the Catholic Church in America from a suspect minority to the nation's largest denomination, now with 67 million members.

"The Catholic community in this nation has been outstanding in its prophetic witness in the defense of life, in the education of the young, in care for the poor, the sick and the stranger in your midst," he told the crowd, who listened attentively.

After the consecration, about 300 deacons and others fanned out across the stadium to distribute Communion.

The Mass ended at 4:45, with Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" from his Ninth Symphony as the recessional hymn.

"It was good. It was great," said Caldwell as Benedict departed. "I liked his message about the contributions all the immigrants made to this country," she said. "The bottom line is, we're all one."

"It was incredible," exclaimed Mary Worthington, 25, of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Overbrook Farms. "It felt like he was here personally for every one of us."

See a slide show on the pope's day in New York http://go.philly.com/pope.ny