I thought after the girls had left on Saturday afternoon, our house would be empty. Then I woke up at 1 a.m. and found out it wasn’t. I saw Steve standing in his room.
“What are you doing here?”
“I told you I was staying here tonight.”
“No you didn’t.”
“Yes, I did. And Tom is sleeping in the guest room.”
Luckily the girls left the room in good shape. The entire house was pretty good, considering how many girls were jammed into it for 24 hours.
Getting back to my son, it seems he is stalking the pope. He has seen him 3 times now & he was close up each time. I first found out just how close he was when we were driving home from Mystic yesterday and my cell phone rang. It was my sister. “I just saw Stephen on TV! He’s right in front!’
Steve said they had gotten there at 9 a.m. and were standing there the entire day. You can tell he had his clerical collar on by his sunburn and where it ends on his neck. Some nuns were trying to elbow him to get closer but there was no way they were getting in front of him after he was there so many hours. Besides, I’m betting they were probably taller than him, anyway, so they could see over him.
Apparently, in addition to seeing the pope as he made his way to Catholic U and seeing him from the seminary windows when he was at the Basilica in D.C., Steve also went to the Mass at Nationals Park. I had no idea he attended the Mass.
“I didn’t know you went to that.”
“Yeah, and we were right near the front.”
“Your aunt asked if you were going. I said no.”
“Well I guess you’re a liar.”
When I had texted him to ask if he saw the pope at Catholic U, Steve texted me back saying,”I stared him down before his talk.”
Stephen is on his way back to D.C. right now but his pope stalking days aren’t over. He’s going to World Youth Day in Australia and then he’s going to Rome.
April 21st, 2008 at 11:19 pm Quote
I’m Catholic, so I should know this, but I don’t…
Does he have any say at all (as in does he get to accept/decline) where he will be? I’m sure you’d like him closer to home, but we’d love him down here!
I remember the Pope’s (JPII) visit back in 87ish. I’d LOVE to see Pope Benedict.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:14 pm Quote
Priests don’t usually get any say in where they’re sent. Steve will be in our diocese because he’s not joining an order. He’ll just be a diocesan priest. On the other hand, if he’s ever made a bishop, they can send him anywhere. He said there’s no danger of that because he’s way too lazy to ever get made a bishop.
Being there, seeing Pope Benedict had to be an amazing experience. And the boy got to do that 3 times. It was amazing just watching it on TV, especially seeing all those young kids cheering and waving and looking so happy. If anyone was watching the coverage of the youth rally at St. Joseph’s on ETWN, well you saw Stephen even if you didn’t know it.
April 23rd, 2008 at 12:48 am Quote
I didn’t catch the coverage on EWTN, but I went passed their massive satellite. Does that count?
Maybe this isn’t exactly the time to admit that I actually went to Catholic school…I had no idea priests didn’t have to join an order. You learn something new everyday, huh? Now I”m off to see if FR. McD is in an order or not. I know Fr. F is.
Thanks for the info!
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:00 pm Quote
Lanny, the only reason I know any of this stuff is because I have a cousin who’s a priest and a seminarian son. Otherwise, I’d be clueless. I’m pretty sure they don’t teach that sort of stuff in Catholic school. Not that I’d know because I’m the only one in my family who didn’t go to Catholic school I was the reject child. No middle name, no Catholic school, always in trouble…