And A Special Memory

 

 This series of Blogs began with the August 9th entry. If you missed the previous, you might want to back up and get caught up.

Some rather happy people!

And understandably so.

They would be my niece, Karen, and my Mom and Dad and the scene is the Pontiac Silverdome on September 19, 19887, the day of the Papal Mass there.

As I mentioned in a previous writing, I whisked Mom and Dad there in my GM courtesy "Popemobile." Then I moved them swiftly through the entry gate by way of those extra Secret Service badges that I was carrying. (And please note - by the time of this photo, those badges were back in my possession and securely tucked away.

And they had great seats too!

Second level, directly overlooking the Papal altar.

I could do that as well because I had one of the first claims to Silverdome seating so that I could be sure that the ministers working with me could be where they needed to be and where I wanted them to be.

And with that little "privilege" I decided I could just claim a couple more seats to put some special people just where they needed to be and where I wanted them to be.

Why not?

And Karen was there as well to be sure that everything was just fine with them.

And speaking of "Where they needed to be . . . "

Well, one great concern Mom and Dad expressed about going to the Mass had to do with the location and accessibility of restrooms, a concern that people of a certain age can readily understand.

And these seats practically fit the bill!

Easy, reasonable walking distance - but with one slight concern.

The "traditional" concern.

Seems at events like this there is always a line waiting for entry into the women's restroom while no such wait is found with the mens'.

However, that concern was also easily remedied.

Two mens' restrooms were within reasonable walking distance.

So, pen in hand and paper at ready, a quick jotting of the word "Women" on a couple of sheets of paper and then a speedy, secretive scotch taping of these newly crafted signs to the doors of one of those mens' rooms and a conversion was made.

A Mens' room and become a second Women's room!

We now had two women's restrooms within reasonable walking distance and the men were reduced to a single room

But the guys could probably survive.

And the womens' lines suddenly disappeared.

And I would just bet you never expected to hear something like that in a reminiscence of a Papal event - but there it was.

Final problem solved.

I could return to my duties at ground level and Mom and Dad could relax and enjoy.

And pray with the Pope!

And that was still another consideration.

I don't know if Mom shared this with anyone else but I do know that a couple of times she told me.

She let me know that the "line" Dad used to convince her to say, "Yes," and marry him was a promise. He promised her that she would wear mink and someday see the Pope!

Well, she waited a whole lot of years.

And the Christmas of 1986 she finally got that coat.

And on that September day in 1987, with a little help from his eldest kid, Dad saw to it that Mom actually did see the Pope.

His promise was fulfilled. He delivered!

And ten weeks later Mom was gone.

Early morning the day after Thanksgiving she took her final leave of us.

She had Someone even more important, much more important, to see.

And she didn't even need a Popemobile or security badge to get there.

She just had to say, "Goodbye for now."

Meantime, Keep Praying . . . and Stay Safe! 

Time to Say, "Farewell"

 This series of Blogs began with the August 9th entry. If you missed the previous, you might want to back up and get caught up.

And so the Papal Mass at the Pontiac Silverdome, September 19, 1987, was coming to an end. John Paul II would soon be headed to the waiting helicopter and from that to Metropolitan Airport. There he would have some final, official exchanges and then board his waiting aircraft.

He would wave his Farewell and become a pleasant memory.

As that Papal Mass was coming to its ending, my handy, hidden camera went to work again. It captured those parting moments.

The Mass comes to its ending. 

Pope John Paul II imparts his final blessing to the faithful of Detroit.

The recessional begins.

Leading the recessional

And one final glimpse!

(And what a glimpse!)

And that was Saturday, September 19, 1987 - thirty-three years ago!

One more to come - so please come back!

Meantime, Keep Praying . . . and Stay Safe! 

The Camera

This series of Blogs began with the August 9th entry. If you missed the previous, you might want to back up and get caught up.

What follows at the end of this writing is a series of photos from the Silverdome, September 19, 1987. The next blog will have still more photos so watch for it!

And I need to say a word or two about these photos. Remember, this was 1987. Back then we could not just pull out our phone and snap a quick, almost unnoticed photo. Phones were just that - phones. They made and received phone calls and that was that!

Cell phones? Oh, maybe some folks already had them but back then, you did not take that cell phone out of your car. First, it was likely tethered to the cigarette lighter (yep! Had those too back then) and  it was charging. Furthermore, disconnect one of those gadgets and you were carrying around a miniature shoebox. Seriously! Cell phones back then were huge. They did not go much of anywhere.  They stayed in the car and what's more they also did not take pictures.

We had things called cameras to do that back then.

And I had a camera.

And it was just small enough to conceal under my vestments, which, obviously, I did. Truth be told, I was probably not the only clergy on that Papal Podium carrying a concealed camera. But I had one and, discretely, at various moments I took it from under those sacred covers and took a photo.

The result is what you will see below and in the next blog. I do have to admit, these are some rather significant photos of the Papal Mass at the Silverdome on that memorable day.

So, enjoy!

This is directly behind the altar area; the entry coming from the Lions' locker room.

And here John Paul II is approaching the ramp leading to the Sanctuary.

The Holy Father approaching the altar - view also shows where I am seated, directly behind the pulpit.

The Holy Father reverences the altar at the beginning of the Mass.

John Paul greets the Assembly.

And the next blog will hold still more photos!

Still more! - so please come back!

Meantime, Keep Praying . . . and Stay Safe! 

 

Lydia

 This series of Blogs began with the August 9th entry. If you missed the previous, you might want to back up and get caught up.

I would be remiss if I did not give a special nod to Lydia as I share these memories from back in 1987.

And by the way, did you know that there is a Lydia in the Bible?

A very significant Lydia at that.

Mentioned only briefly and  consequently easily overlooked or ignored, the Biblical Lydia is really a significant person in our history just as the Lydia in this writing is an easily overlooked, easily missed but significant piece of this story.

You can find the brief story of the biblical Lydia in Acts of the Apostles 16: 11 - 15.

And backing up just a bit in that chapter we can discover the significance of Paul meeting Lydia.

Seems that Paul was engaged in his usual missionary travels and at this time on his way into Asia Minor. He received a mysterious visitor who readjusted Paul's GPS, so to speak. Paul was informed that there was to be a course correction. He was to head into Europe rather than Asia Minor. He had not yet ever been there.

But he went and the first person he met was Lydia and, as you read in the few verses about her, she received Paul's message and was baptized. The first European to receive, welcome and respond to Paul's evangelizing effort was a woman named Lydia.

Technically, she opened the door to Europe for Paul and the message he was bringing. The Biblical Lydia paved the way for Europe to hear the message of Paul and discover Jesus Christ.

And another Lydia at another time became a key figure in making Communion happen at the Papal Mass.

This Lydia happened to be the secretary at the Church of the Precious Blood in Detroit where I, at that time, was pastor. In addition to being parish secretary, she was also a resource person for various projects for the Archdiocese. She was a sharp, well focused individual, a true resource. She was also, by the way, Hispanic, one of those all too unappreciated immigrants who continually so enrich the United States.

And this Lydia was a part of the scene of chaos that unfolded at the Silverdome rehearsal. Even before the total disintegration of any rehearsal attempts and while the ministers were being dismissed in total frustration, she was stepping up and stepping in.

By the next morning a meeting had been called and phone calls were being made and the wheels were strongly in  motion and Lydia was providing me with assurance. "Don't worry! We've got this. Everything is going to be just fine."

She was working to put together a team, my ground level coordinators as well as a crew of her friends, mostly other parish secretaries and pastoral ministers who were already recruited for the Communion ministry. And she was putting together lists of names and phone numbers of all ground level ministers. She was organizing!

By Friday afternoon her "team" had their own lists of ministers being placed into their care and each had a particular section of the ground level as their personal responsibility. Each was also already about the task of calling the ministers on their list. The ministers were being told what time to arrive at the Silverdome (earlier than originally planned) and where to meet. They were to look for their section "coordinator," most of whom would be identifiable by wearing a provided flower.

There would be on site, small group, section rehearsals on the day of, shortly before the crowds would descend into the stadium. Platforms would be in place properly and seats would be the same. No one would have to "imagine." They could see, feel and experience.

By the time I arrived and made my way to the section reserved for the ground level ministers, they were all in place, all trained, all ready to spring into action. Everything was ready, as ready as it was ever going to be. And everybody was smiling!

The chaos of that rehearsal evening had resolved into order.

And all of that was in a very large part due to a lady named Lydia who, like that Lydia of Acts, opened the door to the Gift of Jesus for so many of the faithful, this time for the Church of Detroit.

Oh Yes! Still more! - so please come back!

Meantime, Keep Praying . . . and Stay Safe! 

'Twas The Night Before . . .

This series of Blogs began with the August 9th entry. If you missed the previous, you might want to back up and get caught up.

Friday, September 18, 1987!

The time had come!

Late afternoon Pope John Paul II arrived at Detroit Metropolitan Airport.

The Papal Visit was underway.

After proper greetings and welcomes from the appropriate civic and religious leaders, John Paul was whisked off by helicopter to the campus of Sacred Heart Major Seminary. There he first greeted and met with faculty and students before being taken away for a bit to get refreshed and probably get a bite to eat as well.

Meantime, ticketed guests were arriving at Blessed Sacrament Cathedral where the Pontiff would arrive shortly to lead a prayer service and speak his first official words in Detroit. That would be his final appearance for the day.

I would be a part of the gathering at the Cathedral, joining clergy from around the Archdiocese, most traveling that evening by buses, leaving cars in designated parking spots so as to keep the traffic around the Cathedral area reduced and manageable.

Service over - back to those buses and back to our cars and then back home.

The next day there would be a Papal Visit to Hamtramck, then a public appearance at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit and a meeting with the Deacons in the old Ford Auditorium and finally on to Pontiac and the Silverdome and the Mass.

Meantime, on this night before, I was home, safe and sound and quiet - at least 

until . . . the phone rang.

"Washington calling!"

It was one of my newly acquired Secret Service friends. And he had a special task for me and I had to get on it ASAP - like in the next minute or two before we hung up.

He needed me to name one of my ministers or co-workers who already had security clearance, someone who could get deeper clearance before the end of the night. And whomever I named could not even know of the deeper clearance process at least until I got word that he or she was fully cleared. Then I could reveal what had happened.

And the matter at hand requiring such action?

The Vice-President of the United States, George H.W. Bush, was coming to the Mass and he was bringing with him several staff members and they would be sharing one of the suites and many of them were Catholics and wanted to receive Communion.

Someone had to be designated to go exclusively to that suite bringing Communion and that someone had to have the highest security clearance.

And, no, I did not name myself!

As momentous as that opportunity might have been, I was not budging from my position. See, because I had a strong say in ticketing and seating, I had placed myself on the podium, right next to the pulpit (ambo) and directly across from the altar and the seat of His Holiness, John Paul II.

I was not moving!

But as luck would have it, one of my mezzanine level team was a military chaplain, active with the National Guard. He should already have a healthy level of clearance and he would be working right nearby where needed. So he got named.

And he got cleared.

And the next morning, Saturday, September 19, 1987, he got a call from me informing him of what had transpired the night before and of the special assignment he would be fulfilling that afternoon.

And very soon it would be time for all of us to spring into action.

Still more! - so please come back!

Meantime, Keep Praying . . . and Stay Safe! 

Rehearsal!

This series of Blogs began with the August 9th entry. If you missed the previous, you might want to back up and get caught up.

Stadiums built since 1987 seem to have become smaller. I guess that is one way of declaring an event to be "sold out." However, the Silverdome was a mega-stadium and I am providing a photo to help you to visualize at least a bit the scope of the moment.

Anyhow, as the time drew nearer rehearsal became the question.

We had to gather the troops together and rehearse. We could not just leave things up to chance, asking our ministers to "imagine" their situations. They had to have some advance, practical, hands on experience of the situations with which they would be actually dealing.

We had to rehearse!

Actually, those upper regions were easy. They were fixed. They wee stationary. They were not going anywhere. As long as we could get access to the building, we could schedule rehearsals for those distant regions and give the ministers a hands on feel for what they needed to do.

And so those rehearsals were scheduled and actually happened.

The big challenge was ground level.

Almost right up to the day itself, that was remaining a vast, wide open space. Seating and platforms and anything else was only existing in the imagination. Reality would not become visible and tangible until -- well, we were assured everything would be set and in place on Thursday, two days before the big moment.

Thursday evening the building would be available for the grand, ground floor experience and rehearsal. Everything would be in place and we could provide a feel for the actual experience.

And so the final rehearsal, the one involving the main floor, was scheduled for the evening of September 17, just two days before the Mass. On that evening we could see and feel and walk and experience what the main floor would actually be like.

Only it wasn't quite that way!

As our critical ground floor ministers and those responsible for moving things from that level to those above began to arrive, a certain degree of panic began to emerge.

The platform for the Mass was not yet built. And the seating was not yet in place. And it all could not be because bevies of semis, loaded with the necessary equipment were still filling that ground floor space.

We looked out in unbelieving amazement at seeing not the expected all completed, all ready setting to see semi after semi after semi with cargo waiting to be unloaded and set into place.

Nothing was even close to being ready!

Could we properly describe the coming scene? Call on our ministers to effectively imagine? Could we do that?

But even before we began to speak and even, perhaps, shout to capture minds and imaginations, a sound began to emerge.

Across the way from where we had gathered for our rehearsal, the choir, multiplied by countless additional numbers began to tune up. They were also rehearsing! 

And they were loud!

And our question became - how loud can you speak? We had no amplification system. To communicate with our ministers, we would have to get loud, really loud - raising our voices above and over the sound of the choir of over a hundred voices and also those semis out there on the field unloading the equipment that should already have been in place.

And then came still another surprise - the orchestra!

Of course!

This was a Papal Mass. It was not enough to have a hundred plus voice choir.  That choir needed an accompaniment fitting the occasion. And that would be the orchestra and they also needed to rehearse. And that was happening right then and right there in that emerging nightmare.

Communicating with our ministers and actually helping them to grasp what was expected of them had become nearly impossible.

Until  . . .

The thunderstorm!

Yep!

Ever heard the sound of the wind and rain, serious, steady, soaking rain up against a domed roof?

Loud is hardly a proper descriptive for that sound. Even the orchestra and the choir seemed at least momentarily defeated by the storm. But the storm did come and the rains did resonate against that domed roof.

And there would be no second chance for us. John Paul was arriving the next day and the Silverdome would be totally secured by that time and, therefore,  inaccessible.

Rehearsal was over. Nothing more that we could do.

We could not communicate; we could not work on the site; we could not . . . 

Well, all we really could do was send everyone home and hope and pray that somehow things would come together.

Ground floor rehearsal was permanently grounded!

We could only guess at what the real thing might look like! 

Still more! - so please come back!

Meantime, Keep Praying . . . and Stay Safe! 

Yes! Secret Service Too!

This series of Blogs began with the August 9th entry. If you missed the previous, you might want to back up and get caught up.

Last writing I mentioned the "dramatic" entry of Mom and Dad into the Silverdome. They were a bit overwhelmed by the large numbers lined up at the gate waiting to clear and be admitted. They thought that they could not and should not tackle that line. They were ready to head back to the car to sit and wait until all was finished but then I reached into my attache case.

Inside of it I had the vestments I would be wearing for the Mass, lists of the ministers who would be working with me and also several security tags.

You see, along with having to deal with officialdom from those Downtown Offices, mostly the Worship Office, and having to deal with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, again mostly the Worship Offices, and even on a couple of occasions with representatives from the Vatican regarding procedures and protocols, it was necessary to deal with Washington government officials.

Specifically, Secret Service was involved. Security and physical well-being was involved.

John Paul II was not just a religious leader; he was a visiting head of state. The Vatican is a foreign government recognized by the United States.

And some years before there had been an assassination attempt on John Paul's life right in the Vatican. A second attempt had likewise been made during a visit to Fatima and well before these attempts, while Paul VI was visiting the Philippines,  an attempt had been made on his life.

Popes are not exempt from such attempts and the United States government was not going to risk the embarrassment of such happening on our soil.

And so Secret Service was involved in the details of this trip.

And there were meetings with Secret Service agents in which every little detail was set out and scrutinized. As my "team" was put together, each was screened by Secret Service before final approval. Then as the volunteers for those 734 ministry positions were named, each filled out a form that, while they probably were unaware of it, was submitted to Secret Service and each and every one of that number, likewise, was screened and approved for security clearance.

Then came the next question.

How will we know who your people are?

How can we identify them?

While they would have been screened for security clearance, they would be just so many faces in a crowd, a vast sea of faces.

They needed to be identifiable. 

Will they be wearing uniforms? No.

Can you get them to all wear the same outfits? I doubt it.

Will they have some sort of vestments? Some will.

Can't you get vestments to all of them? I don't think so.

Well then, how can we identify them?

It was finally resolved that they would each be issued a colorful, distinctive tag or badge to wear. Each would be numbered and Secret Service would have a record of who had what number and they would also have the background checks for those names and numbers.

The tags would be issued at the time of rehearsals and would be required for admission on the day of the Mass.

I was given a few extras for any "just in case" situations. Mine were to stay with me at all times unless an emergency arose in. We would be covered for any last minute matters.

And one of those last minute matters was getting my parents from standing in the long, waiting entry line and into the building ASAP.

And so they got tagged and admitted and as soon as I got them to their seats, off came those badges and back they went into my attache case.

But they did the trick!

Oh, and yes, I had one as well. I had to be wearing one of those identifiable tags to move around the building as I had to. And since I was the one actually issuing the badges, I had the pick of the lot for the one I would wear.

I still have it. And here is a photo of the one I called mine. I picked it myself for me.

And I selected its number deliberately!

I just figured, why not?

For my role in this whole affair, why should I not be Double Oh Seven?

OK, there is an extra Oh at the end but it's the first three that really count.

And on this grand and memorable day I would be authorized by the Secret Service Branch of the Government of the United States of America.

I was Double Oh Seven.

So, look out!

The Rehearsal! - next time; so please come back!

Meantime, Keep Praying . . . and Stay Safe!

Generous GM

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.  

And there it is!

A brand new, beautiful, fully-loaded (including, of course, a sunroof) Pontiac Bonneville.

The photo may not be all that great but it is the best I have of that very pleasant memory.

And, of course, you are wondering what just happened. Wasn't this a series of reflections on the experience of the 1987 visit of Pope John Paul II to Detroit and, specifically, the backstory to the distribution of Communion at the Silverdome Papal Mass?

And it was.

And it still is.

And this was a part of the whole saga.

It was probably (as best I can remember) late July when the announcement was made. GM was making available for those spearheading and coordinating the Papal Visit one hundred of those (papal) white, brand new, fully loaded Pontiac Bonnevilles. Ford and the then Chrysler Corporations along with many other businesses and agencies were pitching in with a variety of packages to make this moment a highly memorable event in Detroit history. And part of GM's involvement would be these courtesy cars.

And I got one!

Not to keep, obviously, but to use for the duration of the days leading up to, including and even for a time after the Papal Visit.

I would be driving around in a fancier car than I had ever owned!

And not only were these "courtesy" cars but they were "security  cleared" vehicles.

And as the days grew closer to the Visit, that became increasingly important.

And on the day of the Mass, the importance was more than awesome.

As the Papal Visit neared, roads and areas were slowly shut down, closed to the general public. There was a concern for providing proper and necessary traffic flow and there was still another concern - security.

Oh yes, security!

More will be coming on that item but for now, let's just say that security grew tighter and tighter the closer we drew to the event.

And on the day of the Papal Mass even something like Woodward was closed to most traffic in areas near the Silverdome.

But I had my Popemobile!

And after much back and forth, I had convinced Mom and Dad to join in the Mass at the Dome. Needless to say, they were very, very apprehensive.

There would be those crowds and where would we park and how far would we have to walk and, oh so very critical, how close would restrooms be?

But I had my Popemobile and it would take us directly to the event.

They had to be at least a bit surprised and impressed as I was immediately waved through prohibiting barriers. Traffic control took one look at the bright white vehicle and, well, practically saluted.

In no time at all we were pulling into the parking lot at the Silverdome. One look at that vast space and again came those words of protest.

"We can't walk that far. We're too old! We'll just wait here in the car."

Until I pulled that Popemobile right up to an entrance and parked.

And the question then was, "What are you doing?"

"Parking."

"You can't park here."

"Just watch me."

And out of the car we emerged, right by the entrance.

Where, of course, already a very long line had formed.

"We can't stand in that line. We'll just wait in the car."

"Come on!"

And I handed Mom and Dad tags to wear around their necks, actually Secret Service security clearance ID's!

And we went right up to the door and right into the Silverdome.

No waiting!

And that Popemobile got us there and later back home in no time at all!

Thanks, GM!

Ok, we'll talk about that security matter - next time; so please come back!

Meantime, Keep Praying . . . and Stay Safe!

 

The Old Man's Wisdom

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. 

Well, that is what it looked like, what you see directly below this.

That was the platform created to hold all of the necessary ciboria containing the hosts for consecration at the Papal Mass. It was a platform conforming to the distance requirements that had been set out for us. Every host to be distributed at that Mass would be consecrated by the Holy Father and every one of those ciboria would be held up high in someone's hands during the Eucharistic Prayer.

When the praying of the Our Father began, each of these would be taken to an appropriate location for proper distribution.

Ground level was right around the corner, so to speak, and so no problem there. The ministers would simply move to their assigned stations.

But  then there was the matter of those upper levels.

How accomplish that?

As I mentioned previously, there were only so many elevators to quickly move a limited number of ministers. So how move matters quickly in a very limited amount of time.

Well, let's just say that we did it.

Years later The Old Man asked how.

And notice, I am saying "The" Old Man and not "An" old man. I am not talking here about just any old man.

I am talking about The Old Man - my Dad!

He and Mom were actually at the Papal Mass that day. I was glad and am still very grateful to have been able to provide that opportunity for them. (I will have more to say about that in a later writing.)

What I am remembering here is something that occurred some years later.

Dad and I were talking about, perhaps even looking at some photos of that day.

We were remarking about how seemingly smoothly everything went.

And then he asked his question.

"So how did you manage to get those Hosts all the way up there? They were already consecrated; weren't they?" he asked.

I assured him.

Nope!

All consecrated by the Holy Father down below.

But how did you make that happen? he wondered.

So I explained that, in order to  pull this whole project off, I had to have claim to certain tickets for seating. I had to be able to place ministers exactly where I needed them. As a result, ministers were already in place at their stations in the upper levels. And each had their own ciborium - empty!

Among those ciboria at ground level were a number of very large ones, each containing hundreds of hosts. At the start of the Our Father designated carriers took these special containers and moved to the elevators which whisked them upward and onto the upper levels. Then they went around those levels being met by the on site ministers who filled their empty containers and went off to distribute Communion.

But then The Old Man had still another question.

"But how did they manage to move around on those upper levels, distributing the needed Hosts to the awaiting ministers? How could they do that so quickly?"

Even running would not cut it and Dad sensed that.

What happened up there? Behind the scenes? 

"You don't want to know, Dad."

That's what I told him. "You don't want to know."

But The Old Man was just not going to give up that easily.

He did want to know.

And so I told him.

Golf carts!

That was the secret.

Waiting at the elevators' exits at those upper levels was a convoy of golf carts.

Each carrier was immediately loaded onto a cart and driven to the assigned location.

The Eucharistic Lord was driven to the waiting faithful on golf carts!

The Lord of all creation got a ride on a golf cart!

And The Old Man just smiled.

And then he gave this word of wisdom.

"Jesus doesn't care how He gets to His people. Just get Him there!'

True then; true still.

Amen!

Oh, but there is still more to this whole saga, so please come back!

Meantime, Keep Praying . . . and Stay Safe!