If you are just "Tuning In" to this Blog, you might want to back up a bit. I have been recounting some memories from 1987 and the Papal Visit of John Paul II to Detroit. This series, continuing here, begins with the Blog published August 9.
As traffic flow patterns emerged and were agreed upon, concrete plans began to emerge regarding the process of distributing Communion at the Pontiac Silverdome to a hundred thousand faithful (give or take a few) within the framework of some eighteen allowed minutes.
One of the major questions to emerge concerned reaching that third deck, bleachers shall we call it?
It was distant. It was significantly huge and, therefore, a significant number of ministers would be needed there and needed quickly to meet the challenge. Elevators were available but certainly not sufficient to move that number that quickly.
Solution?
Well, have them already in place. They would be located in seats strategically, ready to spring into action when the time arrived. No need to move them. They would already be in place.
But . . .
Seems the "Powers that Be" (read that to be so-called higher ups either in offices Downtown with the Archdiocese of Detroit or with the Liturgy Offices of the US Conference of Bishops in Washington) stepped in to raise a concern.
How would the Consecrated Hosts get into the hands of those distant ministers?
Well, the logical solution seemed to be that they would already have ciboria (Eucharistic containers) with them and the hosts would already be where needed and ready for distribution.
But . . .
The Powers that Be determined that perhaps the Papal words of Institution in the Eucharistic Prayer would not be able to reach all that far. The hosts for consecration had to be closer, proximate to the altar.
So we could have the ministers in place but the hosts for distribution somehow would have to reach them. The hosts would have to start at ground level, near the altar.
Which meant that a special platform would have to be constructed to hold a multitude of containers filled appropriately with the hosts for consecration.
We could get that done.
But . . .
Again a ruling from the Powers that Be.
Seems that it was somehow, somewhere required that containers such as these filled with hosts for consecration had to be held and actually lifted during those words of Institution.
And that would mean a significant section of seating with a significant number of those 734 ministers would have to be within reach of that platform and those containers and during the Eucharistic Prayer they would have to be trained to step forward and take and hold and lift those ciboria.
We could get that done.
But . . .
Among that number there would be a significant number of females and they would be among those holding and lifting the ciboria.
And the Powers that Be had a serious concern.
Women would be actually holding containers with hosts during the time they were being consecrated.
Why! Someone might think they were concelebrating or something!
Perish the thought!
Only to that concern all I could offer was the observation that neither I nor anyone else could control what some folk may be thinking. We had a challenge to meet and we needed the proper resources to get it done.
End of story!
Oh, but there is still more to this whole saga, so please come back!
Meantime, Keep Praying . . . and Stay Safe!
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