Feeling Popeful and Courageous

"First, those words – “What about you?” – were addressed to a young person, a young woman with high ideals, and they changed her life. They made her think of the immense work that had to be done, and to realize that she was being called to do her part. How many young people in our parishes and schools have the same high ideals, generosity of spirit, and love for Christ and the Church! I ask you: Do we challenge them? Do we make space for them and help them to do their part? To find ways of sharing their enthusiasm and gifts with our communities, above all in works of mercy and concern for others? Do we share our own joy and enthusiasm in serving the Lord?"

- Pope Francis' Address at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Philadelphia 2015

      This time last week, I was still beaming from my popeful week. I had spent the week doing various activities downtown during the World Meeting of Families, taking the train on various excursions (and running to catch the trains because I can't do SEPTA like a normal Philadelphian), and staking out my plot of fence on the parkway so I could see the Pope not once but twice. The streets were empty of cars, but everywhere there were people. Kind, wonderful, gentle people. Philadelphia had transformed into the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. It was fascinating. 

      In school the entire week we were focusing on the words of Pope Francis, accepting Papal Challenges and re-tweeting various Campus Ministry tweets. We only had three class days and so the students' energy was at an all time high. While I wasn't doing Campus Minister things, I was spending time on my own exploring what was offered at night time for the World Meeting of Families. Wednesday Night I found myself at an event called "Club Francis" where the bouncers were the Swiss Guards. Ok, they weren't real Swiss Guards and they actually weren't even bouncers, but hey, they tried. This was a young adult three day event which focused on various different themes and speakers. The night I was there focused on Courage and featured four religious (priests, sisters, and a seminarian). I was awe-inspired, despite the lateness of the event, and very much felt the theme of Courage pouring into my heart. 

      The second night of my Popeful week was spent downtown again but this time at the Cathedral Basilica. We decided to take the train from my hometown to give it a dry run before we utilized it as our main transportation during the Papal Visit. The conductor reminded us that SEPTA was stopping transportation from that station at 10:00 pm for security reasons. The last train out to my hometown would be at 9:57pm. Plenty of time, we thought. We found ourselves helping some precious lost Sisters find the cathedral. We had originally planned to attend a lecture on St. Therese and her parents and also visit with her relics. However, we stopped first at the knotted grotto which was crowded beyond belief. It was so beautiful and amazing to see so many people, families, young and old, praying at the knotted grotto. We walked through peacefully and found ourselves in the Adoration Chapel. Right before 7:30, a Sister walked by and asked if we would like to  stay for a holy hour. Without thinking, I right away said yes for the both of us.
      The Holy Hour began with Sisters of various different communities leading our community in song. So many of the songs were laced with the theme of courage. My eyes filled with tears at the glory of the Lord. Also during Holy Hour we sang the Divine Mercy Chaplet and listened to many reflections on religious life and the family. I knew that we would be missing the talk on St. Therese and her family, but I felt so incredibly called by God to stay for an hour of Adoration. We stayed the whole time and by the time the prayers were over, it was 8:45. It was so beautiful to see so many families and religious praying together. It was a taste of Heaven on earth.
      After going to the Cathedral the catch up with my friend St. Therese (AKA Sister Kim), we walked down the parkway to see how far we could go before security kicked us out. We wound up getting very close to the main altar before having to turn around. As I looked at my watch, I soon realized we only had a few minutes to get to our train. That would have been fine if we both hadn't been super hungry. So it was a scene out of a movie with us running in and out of the wawa and then to the train. Trying every door to the station which had been locked thanks to security and then finally finding an open one that dropped us right off at the platform as the train was pulling into the station. I sat and took a deep breath once we were on the train and then started laughing. It was humorous actually and I loved every moment.
      The next morning, I headed down into the city with my little sister and my dad. We walked around the city, went to Mass at St. John the Evangelist and even saw the body of St. Maria Goretti which was extremely pivotal for my younger sister. We attended Mass and visited the body with Sister Kim. Lizzie, my younger sister, is preparing for Confirmation this year and we've been talking about different saints for her to chose as her patron. For a long time she was considering St. Therese, but after seeing St. Maria Goretti and doing some research, she's now thinking about her, too. We finished our day with getting lunch at Reading Terminal. We decided that it was better if we headed home early so we could get a good night's rest before heading to the Parkway for the Festival of Families the next day.
      That night a number of my friends and I camped out in the backyard and had a pizza and slumber party. The next morning, we were up early, dressed and at the train station by 8:00. We packed a blanket, drinks, lunch and snacks. We were ready to go. We hopped aboard the train and when we got through security, we found a nice grassy plot of ground in front of a fence. If we wanted any shot of seeing the Pope, this was a good spot. We spent the day listening to the concert, meeting all our closest friends on the parkway and eating snacks and lunch. It was a beautiful day. Around 6:00pm, the crowds starting forming closer and closer to the fence. We were so scrunched up against each other, you would have though the Pope was coming...oh wait. During the whole hour of waiting, there was music, prayer, and chanting for the Pope. Finally, the lights and security was coming. Finally, the Pope was on his way. And at a wonderful 35 mph, the Pope went speeding by. Luckily for us, we caught a picture.
       After the prayer service, we headed home and most of my friends went back to their houses for the night. The next morning, we boarded the trains again and this time, waited almost three hours in the security line. But it was worth it. When we finally made our way into the parkway, we found a group of my Nazareth Sisters who invited us to stay with them. We waited hours before Mass to begin. And right before Mass, the Pope went around the parkway again. This time much slower which allowed for a few good pictures but also for me to wave and smile at the Pope. I think he looked right at us. It was amazing.
        The most amazing part of the weekend, for me, however, was the celebration of the Mass on the parkway. Over 800,000 people were gathered there and the reverence was beyond description. You could easily hear a pin drop the entire Mass. There were people gathered on every square foot of the parkway, craning their necks to see the jumbotron or just listening. People sang, people participated in the Mass, the entire parkway knelt at the consecration of the Eucharist. It was beautiful. However, during Mass, the most beautiful moment was watching the priests and deacons process down the parkway with their papal umbrellas. You see, just moments before the Pope was riding down the same street and the crowds were cheering louder than ever. Now, Jesus, the most important person of our faith was in His body on the same path. I looked and felt, "this is my Jesus; He has come to the streets." We received the Eucharist and so many people were able to receive the Blessed Sacrament. The reverence was beautiful.
       Towards the end of Communion, it seemed that the music just ended abruptly or that our sound from our jumbotron was cut off. People kept singing anyway. I had tears streaming down my face at a rapid pace. I could not describe the overwhelming feeling of power and grace that swept over me. It was amazing. I looked around at all the people there, people of every faith and race and nationality. God had brought us all together.
      At the end of the day, it took us only about an hour and a half to get home. Behind us on the train was a baby that had been kissed and blessed by the Pope. I watched his departure via my phone and was asleep in my bed by 8:30. I was exhausted and yet, it was a most amazing experience. Many times I was pinching myself as if to say, is this real? Truly the most Holy Father was among our people in Philadelphia. Truly Philadelphia was a nicer place to be for the past week. Truly so many people were positively affected by his visit. And I was so blessed to be among the crowds. Where two or three are gathered, there He shall be.

Dashboard Jesus At The Wheel

"I feel bad when I see a priest or a nun with the latest car.

This cannot be! Maybe you need one to move around for work

but get one that is more humble."

- Pope Francis 

    As some of you may know, I just recently inherited my own set of wheels. Shout out to my awesome Mommom and Poppop for that one! I've had my license for four years this August but until this Summer, I had been riding around in style in the red mom van. I was infamous for the mom van, especially on road trips with my friends. I mean who else could drive all her friends around in one car?! And so, while the surprise of inheriting a car was fantastic, moving from the mom van was bittersweet. I've officially had this "new" car for just about a month now and slowly but surely I am making it mine. One of the first things I did, however, was stick my Dashboard Jesus right smack in the middle of the dash. 

    About two weeks ago, as you might recall, I was helping out at CREW 2013. It is seriously something I look so forward to every year and I couldn't wait for it to begin. Of course, I think I learned more about cars in the few days of CREW than I had in any Driver's Ed class or behind the wheel. You see, the week was car-themed. So, we reflected on the idea of the Rear-View Mirror, the brakes and even AAA. I don't believe in coincidences, I believe in God-Winks and so, it didn't come as any surprise that I had literally, two weeks prior, inherited a new set of wheels. And boy, have they really been coming in handy. 

   Post and Pre CREW, I had the awesome experience of driving a bunch of my Sisters here and there. Maybe it was an ice cream date or a lunch date or even a chauffeur to home. Regardless, suddenly, it seems, my Big Sisters finally trust me behind the wheel. Regardless, the wheel has been in my hands recently and that's really no big deal. Before, I would say it would make me super nervous to drive the Sisters, but now, no problem. Especially with the help of Dashboard Jesus. He not only is there to watch over me, but He is a great conversationalist. One sister got in the car and immediately started laughing. This later resulted in her reenacting Dashboard Jesus to the CREW girls. Another Sister got in the car and immediately started dancing. Jesus was dancing, she said, and that was a huge reflection for her during retreat. Of course, another Sister, being the realist that she is, asked what He was doing with His hands. His hands are open, pointing toward Heaven reminding me that I am always being looked upon from Heaven. 

    Okay so maybe Dashboard Jesus is a little ridiculous, but at least when I look out in a parking lot, my very common Ford Taurus sticks out. Of course, many of my friends have already joked that the Ford Taurus, while very appropriate as my sign is a Taurus, looks very much like a nun car. And even more so because it has Dashboard Jesus. But this statement got me thinking: what exactly constitutes something as a nun car? When I got back in the car this morning after Mass, I found I had left the radio on (a bad habit I will probably never be able to knock...at least it's not the lights). On the radio was the typical 92.5 xtu Philadelphia Country Radio Station. One little known fact about me is that I love country music, more than any other genre probably. This may be because country songs have so much meaning, depth and devotion to emotion in them. But it is most likely because I have always been a country girl at heart. 

     So this country girl at heart saddled up, turned the dial down a little and put the car in drive. As I was driving through Bristol, the morning show talk hosts were discussing what type of car Jesus would drive. I never actually thought about this notion, despite the fact that if Jesus was walking the earth now, He would most definitely need a car. Instantly my creative mind went crazy. If Jesus drove a car...hmmm....my go to car for humble people, the rusty, red, old pick-up truck. It's simple, it's real, it's afforable, it's got good gas mileage and it putters around so everyone knows it's coming. I imagined Jesus with a cowboy hat, tapping the wheel with one hand and the other hand out the window. Of course, Jesus wouldn't be smoking, but He'd be eying up the crops, wondering who was going to help Him harvest. Jesus was a harvester, so in my mind, a farmer in some sense and He had to have a farming truck to get around. Plus, it's the type of car I have always dreamed about. 

     However, if we were being reasonable, Jesus wouldn't be driving a truck. You see, there's only room for two more people in a pick-up truck, unless you filled the bed up. So, if we were really thinking about this, Jesus would most likely drive a fifteen passenger work van like we do when we're in New Orleans. Why? Well, He did have twelve apostles after all and we can't forget about the ladies in His life: Mary Magdalene and his mother, who definitely rode shotgun. So, He would most definitely need those fifteen seats. I imagine He'd use this work van whenever He was out with His disciples. But when He needed to retreat to the mountain or something, He'd take His rusty, red, old pick-up truck with His dashboard filled with bobble heads of those He loves: a dashboard Becca and a dashboard Maria and a dashboard Frankie and a dashboard everyone. 

    While I was imagining all of this, I sort of tuned out to the real message behind the discussion. But after I finished laughing at myself, I realized the Talk Show hosts were discussing Pope Francis' call for humility in even the cars we drive. Jesus wouldn't drive a Cadillac so why do so many priests and sisters drive fancy cars? Wow, what a good perspective, Francis. I was reminded once again why I love our new Pope so much. Not only is he right on the money for humility, poverty and simplicity, but he also has everyone talking about him: Catholics, Protestants, non-denominationalists, everyone. And everyone loves him. I definitely had a smile from ear to ear while listening.

      The conversation ended when someone mentioned that Pope Francis himself drives a simple Ford Focus. Say what?! A Ford? A Ford Focus? Well, I don't drive a Ford Focus, but I think a Ford Taurus is close enough. If the pope can drive a simple car, so can I. Now, I wonder if he has a dashboard Jesus. If not, I might totally mail him one. Kudos, Frannie, Kudos. And keep on living the Gospel!