Charlotte Catholics celebrate Mass with Pope Francis, ‘million-member family’

It was truly a Mass for the masses Sunday as huge crowds – including hundreds of Catholics from the Charlotte area – crowded onto Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia to participate in Pope Francis’ final public event in his first-ever visit to the United States.

It was unclear whether the outdoor Mass met predictions that it would draw 1 million pilgrims. But even those with tickets that allowed them to get closer to the pope stood in line for hours and, once inside the fenced-off area, could hardly move.

Joe and Carol Diaz of Charlotte, who had tickets, made sure they arrived early enough – 7 a.m. for a 4 p.m. Mass – to claim a spot that got them a block and a half away from the altar. That was close enough to make out the pope, and a nearby Jumbo-tron filled in the features.

“It was an absolute thrill to be at Mass with him and our million-member family,” said Joe Diaz, a deacon at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.

The Rev. Frank O’Rourke, pastor of Charlotte’s St. Gabriel Catholic Church, didn’t even arrive in Philadelphia until Sunday morning. And then he went to the wrong address to pick up his ticket. Because he was among the thousands of robed priests playing a role in the Mass, a Secret Service agent gave him a lift in a golf cart to the correct address and O’Rourke was in his seat – about 100 feet from the pope’s throne-like chair on the altar – by about 2 p.m.

At the Eucharist, or Communion, O’Rourke was among the priests distributing the host. Accompanied by a man holding an umbrella of white and gold – the Vatican’s colors – the Charlotte priest walked all the way up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to reach his station.

O’Rourke, a native of Philadelphia, said Pope Francis, who gave a homily, or sermon, calling on listeners to commit to “little gestures of tenderness,” was as humble in his celebration of the Mass as he has been in everything else in his papacy.

“I think he was a pastor celebrating the Eucharist,” O’Rourke said. “I got a great sense of simplicity and prayerfulness.”

John Keating, a parishioner at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Gastoinia, said he and his wife and four kids made it through the security gate in time for the Mass, but they had to watch it on a Jumbo-tron partially blocked by “some trees and a few flagpoles.”

Still, his family was lucky enough to be near the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul when the pope made an unscheduled stop at a grotto on the church grounds. They were within arm’s reach of Pope Francis when his popemobile passed by “at about 2 miles per hour,” Keating said.

“I was elated,” said Keating, the men’s soccer coach at Belmont Abbey College. “My wife used the term ‘unexpectedly overwhelmed.’ ”

And then there were the 55 students, teachers and parents from Charlotte Catholic High School, who arrived in Philadelphia last week and stayed at a camp. On Sunday, the students stood in line for four hours – “without complaining,” said Karen Belciglio, a chemistry teacher at the high school. “They are joyful and committed to their faith and seeing their Holy Father. It is so beautiful and inspiring to watch.”

Some of the students and teachers texted the Observer their impressions of the Mass, which was as hushed and reverent as a Mass in a church:

▪ “What a powerful experience to be praying with so many others,” wrote Joanne Winters, a teacher at Charlotte Catholic.

▪ “The Mass bound us together, and that became apparent after we shared the Eucharist,” texted Maggie Kuhn, a 16-year-old junior. “So many different walks of life were gathered together, but we all desired the same result.”

▪ “I felt at peace with the world,” wrote Jacqueline Garcia, 16 and a junior.

▪ “The (pope’s) homily was moving,” texted Jean Adamian, a math teacher. “Praying and sharing a sign of peace (a handshake or hug) with so many people was one of the most powerful things I’ve ever experienced.”

With hours to wait before the Mass began, the event also became a giant get-acquainted session for Catholics from all over the country and the world.

Joe and Carol Diaz met a group of nuns from Minnesota, and Joe talked shop with a fellow deacon from Kentucky.

“We talked about how special a time … this weekend is,” Diaz said. “And how important this pope is to all of us – how he can bring such a diverse group of people together in peace and harmony.”

This story was originally published September 27, 2015 at 8:48 PM with the headline "Charlotte Catholics celebrate Mass with Pope Francis, ‘million-member family’."