Filams await papal visit

April 13, 2008  --  Got something to say?
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By Rodney J. Jaleco
SILVER SPRING, Maryland They raised and shook palm fronds, a ritual repeated throughout the Catholic world. It ushered the start of Christendoms holiest week that culminates with the observance of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. But Filipino Americans here already have one eye on a much-awaited visitor.
Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to make his first visit to the U.S. on April 15-20, with stops in Washington D.C. and New York.

Filipinos comprise one of the biggest and most active Catholic blocs in the greater Washington area. Auxiliary Bishop Martin Holley paid homage to his Filipino parishioners for the zeal and color theyve brought into the Washington archdiocese.

Filipino Americans flocked to the St. Michael the Archangel Church here, where Fr. Pete Literal held the Palm Sunday mass in Pilipino.

Under the auspices of the Filipino American Ministry of St. Michael, Migrant Heritage Commission and religious groups like the El Shaddai, the mass was followed by the start of a pabasa the sing-song narration of the Passion of Christ an unmistakable mark of Lent in almost all Philippine barangays.
In his homily, Fr. Literal noted how the Filipinos deep religiosity back home seemed to be supplanted by the more materialistic pursuits of American culture.

Kapag tayoy nasa ibang bansa ang pangunahing nilalaman ng ating puso at kaisipan is how to survive. How do we make it? Nakakalimutan natin na tanging salita ng Diyos ang magbibigay ng tagumpay, he stressed.

He said Filipinos have the duty to spread religious fervor wherever they may be in the world. And thats evident in their excitement over the Popes visit next month.

Sana naman the Filipinos will welcome him, Maryland resident Christina Siam enthused. We encourage everyone to take a day off when he is here. This may be the first and last time he will be here, she added.
I know there is really a sacred purpose for his going here, Fr. Literal declared.

For some, circumstances have placed them in a position to take a more direct role in papal activities here. Jennifer Hona is a meetings and events manager with Potomac-based CNS Consulting Group.

She has been helping organize the National Catholic Breakfast for the past five years. We were hoping to have the Pope with us, but he will be joining us through a live satellite link from the United Nations, Hona explained.

Were all excited, were hyped up, she declared.
Pope Benedict will be welcomed by President Bush on his arrival aboard Shepherd One at Andrews Air Base on April 15, and will meet again at the White House the following day. It will only be the second time that a pontiff has visited the White House.

His only scheduled public mass in Washington D.C. comes on April 17, at a newly constructed baseball stadium. Only ticket holders will be allowed to enter. As expected, there was a rush for tickets. Organizers tried to allocate tickets through the archdioceses parishes, many of which raffled them off to parishioners. But tickets for the 41,000-seat Nationals Stadium reportedly ran out weeks ago.

Gusto man namin, hindi kami makakuha ng ticket, Labrina Tiatco says with a shrug. Pero makikita rin namin siya sa TV, she adds quickly.

Fr. Literal said not even all the priests in the area will get a chance to see the Pope up-close. The most beautiful thing the Filipino community here in America can do is pray for the success of his visit, he averred.

I think this country really needs the enrichment and refilling of the spirit of God. I know this is a very religious country but there is a need to put this into practice. Hopefully, the Pope will emphasize the need to put into action the faith that we all embrace, Fr. Literal explained.

Pope Benedict is expected to highlight the importance of a Catholic education when he meets with the heads of over 200 Catholic universities and 195 dioceses all over the U.S.

He is scheduled to address the United Nations in New York on April 18 and later join a prayer service with other Christian denominations in a Manhattan church.

On April 20, he will visit Ground Zero and hold another public mass at Yankee Stadium.

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