Personal Note: Papal Mass Update

A week and a half ago I mentioned I had tickets to the Papal Mass on September 25^th at Madison Square Garden when Pope Francis makes a visit to New York.  I also mentioned that for security reasons I had to be at the event before 2:30 PM, even though the Mass wouldn’t start before 6:30 that evening.  We were not told what we could do inside while we waited, but now that have released a list of entertainers that will perform during that long down time.  From the NY Times:

 

To persuade the thousands of Roman Catholics who will attend Pope Francis’ Mass at Madison Square Garden next week to arrive early, the Archdiocese of New York announced on Monday that the Mass would be preceded by a two-hour show with prayer and devotional music performed by stars including Harry Connick Jr., Gloria Estefan and Jennifer Hudson.

And  

The show announced on Monday, called “A Journey in Faith,” will begin at 3 p.m. Among the other performers will be Kelli O’Hara, Martin Sheen, James (D Train) Williams and Norm Lewis. The Broadway Inspirational Voices, a Grammy-nominated gospel choir, and the St. Charles Borromeo Choir will also sing. The performance will include the recitation of the rosary and the sacrament of reconciliation. 

Whoa!!!!!  Who would have thought!  God is so good! 

 

 

I guess those are all Catholic entertainers.  I know Gloria Estafan, Harry Connick Jr., and Martin Sheen are.  I’ve never heard of Kelli O’Hara, James (D train) Williams, and Norm Lewis.  Obviously the St. Charles Borromeo Choir is Catholic.  Anyone heard of those people I don’t recognize? 

Now can you imagine some people have been so slimy as to do this: 

Last week, the city distributed 80,000 tickets to the procession through a lottery. (Some of those tickets have since turned up on eBay and Craigslist, where they are listed for hundreds of dollars. The scalping has been condemned by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, the archbishop of New York, and by city and state officials.) 

There’s just no accounting for people’s morals.  Anyway I feel so blessed to be able to attend.