Pope!

September 18…this marked Claire and my lottery day. That is, we’d been given admittance to see the pope at the Papal Vigil in Hyde Park.

Thus she and I packed up a picnic and our folding chairs and joined our group at St. Thomas More for a pilgrimage to Hyde Park.

It was a slow process – any large group activity is, I guess. Plus it was a pilgrimage, so a cheerful, long drawn out journey there. We broke into smaller groups for purposes of bus travel and made our way gradually down to the park area. Had our group all been capable of walking the few miles to the park, it would have been a truer pilgrimage, I think. Plus it would have been just as fast or faster, given the waits for buses and for our groups to re-group.

We had a lovely day for it, though, and got to Hyde Park just before 2:00. The place was already crowded with hundreds more pressing in. The ambience was
fabulous, very light-hearted and energetic. Even the security guards were cheery, asking people if they’d traveled far.

We had a fabulous afternoon waiting for the Pope, who was to wheel in on the Pope mobile around 6:30.

Our group marched up to where we could find a good viewing spot and spread out a bit, sporting our huge banner, which, as Father stated, was the best one there. It was the biggest and ended up on the front page of the Telegraph. Can’t beat that.
Around us groups gathered eating, chatting , sleeping, reading, praying, saying the Rosary. Confessions took place here and there, people stood in line for ice cream and just enjoyed being out enjoying the community of fellow Catholics on a warm, sunny autumn day. (Or I’m projecting how I felt about the event. What’s life without a little emotional projection.)

It really was fun just to look around and absorb the happy anticipation in the crowd and to watch everyone mingling. Lots of laughter and happy faces, even in the long lines for the porta-potties. I also saw more mingling among strangers, generally less common in the big city.

Claire and I read a lot, she did some puzzles and games in between being entertained by dancers and musicians from Poland, Wales, Spain, Aftrica and many other parts of the world. The program, broadcast on huge screens throughout the park, included speakers who shared stories about their Catholic faith and/or how Catholic charities or Catholicism had affected them or their loved ones.

The most poignant story was told by a couple, parents with a large family who lost their 16-year-old to a violent act by a drugged out stranger at a convenience store. They talked about how faith had helped them not turn their grief into bitterness and anger but instead to work against drug-realted problems by sharing their story and through community volunteerism.

The mom called to young people in particular in the crowd to be proud of their faith, as her Jimmy had been.

It was wonderful to see Catholicism celebrated or brought to life in so many ways as we waited – through dance, song, prayer, even a bit of “fire and brimstone” preaching. Eventually, as the sun dipped for a great sunset, the screens gave us views from above of the Pope mobile making its way to Hyde Park. With cheers and energy building, we were all on our feet to welcome the pope!

He graciously waved and smiled a gentle, happy smile. He looked tired but pleased with the welcome he received.

The service was lovely in the dusk, the stage beautifully lit. The pope gave a well-spoken, succinct homily that addressed his sadness with the problems in the church’s past and hope for the church’s future.

In particular he reached out to the youth in the crowd, many of them gathered up front. A group from Spain, where the next World Youth Day will be held, were particularly enthusiastic in cheering for the pope when he referenced the event. Their cheers brought a huge smile to his face.

I left a bit in awe; it was the largest group of Catholics I’ve ever gathered with in prayer. It was a very powerful, peaceful experience, and I’m very glad we went.
I think Claire enjoyed it, too; it was particularly well timed given her recent First Holy Communion.

The week following the Papal experience was a busy one, Joe left for business in Charlotte and my friend Beth and I traipsed off for complimentary training sessions with some personal trainers who are new to St. Johns Wood. This of course was followed by coffee because one can’t exercise without coffee. Before and after!

While each of us felt like we got something out of our freebie sessions (for me, focus on flexibility and subtleties to improve my running), we won’t be signing up for the 60 pound/hour sessions.

Ava sharted her drama club, a one-hour afterschool program, this week, after telling me for a year she had no interest in any of the after school clubs. Now she’s all over drama and is dying to take cooking too (they made cupcakes the first week, which I must say looked awfully appealing).

The awards for best dramatic acting each session are balloons; Ava so far has made off with two, one for best flamingo, the other for simply being the best in class, she tells me.

My art outing for the week was to see the Raphael tapestries at the V&A (museum). As part of the Papal visit, these tapestries were on loan from the Vatican, appearing for the first time next to their matching cartoons (which reside at the V&A). A lovely exhibit and an easy one to fit in given it’s succinct.

About it…

This is a display of four of the ten tapestries designed by Raphael for the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. These are the original tapestries from the only series designed by Raphael of which examples survive, and are comparable with Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Ceiling as masterpieces of High Renaissance art.

The tapestries are displayed alongside the full-size designs for them – the famous Raphael Cartoons. This is the first time that the designs and tapestries have been displayed together – something Raphael himself never witnessed. The tapestries have not been shown before in the UK.

That’s it for today. I must get ready for Thai food at the Blue Elephant!