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Papal Visit - New York












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The Papal Visit - Saint Joseph's Seminary - Yonkers, New York
 
April 19, 2008
 
 
On April 19, 2008 - Pope Benedict XVI made a visit to Yonkers, New York.
A Youth Rally was held on the grounds of St. Joseph's Seminary. It was one of 3 Official Papal Events held in New York
 
A crowd of 35,000 gathered for a four hour event that included; Local Christian Bands, Dancers, National Christian Bands, Classical Musicians, International Recording Artists The Three Graces and Pop Superstar Kelly Clarkson. Over 700 people had been on the stage by concert finish. The event culminated with the appearance of Pope Benedict XVI on the stage. I was honored to be asked to Direct and Stage the Event by longtime friend, collaborator and producer Stig Edgren who produced all of the New York Papal Events. Stig did a masterful job with all 3 events,  I will forever be grateful to him for the extraordinary opportunity and experience. 
 


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The Pope in New York

Pope plays rock star to 25,000 screaming young people at St. Joseph's

By STEPHANIE GASKELL and CARRIE MELAGO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Updated Sunday, April 20th 2008, 1:24 AM

Sipkin/News

A crowd of 25,000 young people spent hours outside on Saturday - listening to music, hanging out, and waiting for ... Pope Benedict XVI.

Kelly Clarkson wasn't the headliner on this occasion - Pope Benedict XVI stole the show. <strong>Click for more photos.</strong> Sipkin/News

Kelly Clarkson wasn't the headliner on this occasion - Pope Benedict XVI stole the show. Click for more photos.

Pope Benedict addressed the next generation of the nation's Catholic Church Saturday, proclaiming the importance of faith to 25,000 young worshipers at a rally outside a Yonkers seminary.

Throngs of teenagers waited hours to hear from the Pope, some waving T-shirts and chanting "Viva Papa!" as he finally took to the stage outside St. Joseph's Seminary.

Recalling the oppression of his early years in Nazi Germany, the Pope urged the audience to enjoy their freedom but not let their dreams be "shattered" by drug abuse, violence and other ills.

"As young Americans, you are offered many opportunities for personal development, and you are brought up with a sense of generosity, service and fairness," he said. "Yet you do not need me to tell you that there are also difficulties."

His 40-minute speech capped a day of boisterous celebration, as festival-goers listened to "American Idol" Kelly Clarkson and danced to Christian rock bands as they awaited the arrival of the Popemobile.

"This doesn't come around very often. It's nice to come together as a group of people," said Kristin Diaz, 18, of Yonkers. "And Kelly Clarkson is here!"

The scene was far more subdued inside the seminary, where the Pope blessed 50 youngsters with disabilities and watched a performance by the Archdiocesan Deaf Choir.

During the emotional ceremony, the Pope accepted a painting from several handicapped children and walked through the rows of children twice, blessing them individually.

"He realizes that these kids are such special people," said Angela Manno, 43, of Staten Island, whose daughter Caitlin, 7, has cerebral palsy. "He made sure he spent time with every single one of them."

The service moved Milagros Nieves of the Bronx, whose 4-year-old daughter, Emily Rodriguez, has spina bifida. "For children like this, it means so much that somebody so important cares about them," she said.

The Pope then took center stage at the rally in a program that began with children presenting gifts of bread representing the continents and ended with Clarkson singing "Ave Maria."

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing," said Hannah Caron, 15, who left her home in Hoosick Falls, N.Y., at 4:30 a.m. to make it to the rally in time.

Crowds began forming at noon outside the seminary with each attendee required to go through a metal detector and bag search. Food and drinks were free, but lines were long, and a few spectators were taken out on stretchers for heat exhaustion.

"I bought a lapel pin for my aunt, and I got my grandparents a rosary. I also got myself a lapel pin," said Alicia Holland, 16, of the Bronx. "It's a pretty big event. I want to remember it."

While some teens might have been drawn to the rally by Clarkson - who belted out her hits "Walk Away" and "Since U Been Gone" - a few kids acknowledged they hadn't decided to attend on their own.

"My parents forced me to come here," said Mac Mendez, 14, of Paterson, N.Y.

Still, clergy at the rally were heartened by the large turnout.

"To see this many young people here is amazing," said Dave Gross, 32, who attends Mundelein Seminary in Grand Rapids, Mich. "It affirms my vocation and gives me a sense of hope for the future."






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THE NEW YORK TIMES - APRIL 20, 2008
 

Pope Benedict XVI led the rally attended by 35,000  Saturday afternoon at Yonkers's St. Joseph Seminary, to finish the second day of his New York City visit.

The attending teenagers, mostly Catholic, were very enthusiastic - they waved yellow and white cloths that represented the papal colors, and chanted "Viva Papa" while the pope leaded over the stage edge and shook hands.

Then, the audience sang roughly in unison "Happy Birthday" in German, in honor of the pope's 81st birthday on Wednesday.

Benedict delivered a speech that encouraged a personal relationship with God through prayer and praised the vocations of young seminarians, priests and clergy.

He began with a mild joke, thanking the youth who started the rally by singing in his native language.

"Thank you for this moving gesture; I give you all an 'A-plus' for your German pronunciation!" said Benedict.

In one of his most personal speeches of the visit, the pontiff remembered his own teenage years in Nazi Germany.

"My own years as a teenager were marred by a sinister regime that thought it had all the answers," said Benedict. "Its influence grew - infiltrating schools and civic bodies, as well as politics and even religion - before it was fully recognized for the monster it was. It banished God and thus became impervious to anything true and good."

The pope then praised the freedoms in the United States, but warned against moral relativism.

"Let your imaginations soar freely along the limitless expanse of the horizons of Christian discipleship. Sometimes we are looked upon as people who speak only of prohibitions. Nothing could be further from the truth!" said Benedict, to loud applause from the crowd.

The pontiff expressed pleasure at the slight rise in the number of ordained priests and clergy, and said their work was invaluable.

"Who bears witness to the Good News of Jesus on the streets of New York, in the troubled neighborhoods of large cities, in the places where the young gather, seeking someone in whom they can trust? God is our origin and our destination, and Jesus the way," said Benedict.

The pope ended with a promise to meet the youth again in July's World Youth Day celebrations in Sydney, Australia and a brief greeting in Spanish.

Before the mass ended, "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson sang the aria "Ave Maria" and was able to kiss the pope's hand.

Intense security prevented people from easily entering or leaving the event, so most of the teenaged attendants spent most of the sunny, 70-degree day out in front of the stadium listening to a variety of musical performances.

The day's musical acts represented a wide variety of styles, including rock, pop, gospel, opera, reggae and even hip-hop with religious themes. Performers included The Three Graces and Clarkson.

At the start of the rally, Edward Cardinal Egan welcomed Pope Benedict and held up a papal gift of richly-decorated vestments.

Ten youth presented Benedict with birthday food gifts - dark bread, rye bread, white bread, rice, unleavened bread and maize - to represent the staple foods of five continents. One speaker compared the bread to Jesus being the bread of life.

Eight youth then presented the pope with more gifts, including a spiritual bouquet, a book on New York State's Catholics, and images of eight beatified and canonized individuals who were born or served in New York.

One of the eight honored Catholics was Native American and five were immigrants.

"The diversity of their experience of God's presence prompts us to discover anew the breadth and depth of Christianity," said Benedict. 
 
The historic Papal Event and Concert was Directed by Randy Johnson and Produced by Stig Edgren and Chris Wangro.
 
 

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