By

 Dr. Wilson Triviño & David Triviño

David Triviño, Aura Triviño, Lubin Triviño, and Dr. Wilson Triviño at Yankees Stadium on April 19, 2008 waiting for Pope Benedict XVI in New York City.

Atlanta, Georgia – We have been fortunate to have met and interact with many of the world’s movers and shakers. None of them compare to being in the presence of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI.   We were blessed to attend his Mass with our family during his visit to New York City at Yankees Stadium on April 19.

            During his visit to Washington, DC and New York City, the Holy Father’s message was to love each other and seek inner peace found in faith.  The outward symbolism of President George W. Bush’s only time in office to ever meet and pick up a foreign Head of State at the airport shows how a man of faith transcends political divisions. 

            As life long Roman Catholics and members of the St. Joseph Catholic Church since 1974 in Marietta, to us the Pope is the Shepard and leader our faith.  Catholics are many times misunderstood but we hail from a faith whose origins are traced to the beginnings of Christianity.

            Our weekend visit to New York City is all a blur but the memories will last forever.   On Sunday, we arrived at Yankees stadium at nine in the morning and went through security check points stricter than any presidential event we had attended. The Pope’s Mass is fittingly the last big event at this historic stadium before its schedule demolition. The stadium was locked down at noon, a clear two hours before the Holy Father’s entrance. The five hours that we had to wait seemed to go by quickly as the energy in the stadium built up in anticipation of the arrival of the Holy Father.

            This baseball stadium was transformed into an outside sanctuary.  The bill board advertisements were covered with black cloth and papal colors.   Upon entering the stadium we had received a program and either a yellow or white scarf to wave upon the Pope’s arrival, giving the effect of a tranquil sea of movement. 

            We were entertained in a concert filled with music from some of the greatest voices.  When asked, “if he were a practicing Catholic?” Harry Connick, Jr. replied, “well I am going to play for the Pope, it does not get more Catholic than that.”

            At two, we could see a flurry of activity, helicopters above, SWAT police on the roof tops, and secret service everywhere. 

            As we anxiously waited there was a beautiful parade of cloth doves carried by dancing children to tunes of classical hymns.  That part of the program ended with a release of dozens of live white doves into the air.

            At two fifteen, the Pope entered the stadium, his Popemobile equipped with a high window gave a clear view of him as he waved and gave blessings.  On the big screen you could see his smiling face.   The car was surrounded by dozens of secret service agents as it drove at a crawl pace before it reached the platform.  As he moved around the stadium, the car window was lowered and you could see his hand outside the vehicle.

            Once stopped, his chair lowered and he got out of the Popemobile.   We were amazed, that at age eighty one, of his physical vigor and the intellectual force of his spiritual message.

            Once Mass began, you experienced what he is, a simple priest and humble servant of God. It was as if we were home in Georgia, except that we were celebrating with sixty thousand fellow Catholics from across the United States.

            Pope Benedict XVI’s homily message was a blessing to our nation and the importance to love each other.  He spoke in tranquil soft English sprinkled with a German accent.  The Pope’s comments in Spanish were more pronounced.

            As we celebrated Mass, we felt his peaceful calming spirit and when we received communion that was blessed by the Pope, we could feel our faith strengthening.  The Roman Catholic Church is one that preaches hope, love, and faith. 

            As Mass concluded, the Holy Father gave us his blessing and then got back into the Popemobile and slowly drove out of the stadium, smiling and waving.   The stadium doors were locked down until, like Elvis, “the Pope had left the building”.

            Our family will be eternally grateful for the opportunity to represent our parishes, St. Joseph’s in the Atlanta Archdioceses and Holy Spirit in the Savannah Archdiocese.   Long live Pope Benedict XVI!

Political Scientist Dr. Wilson Triviño resides in Marietta, Georgia and is a speaker and writer for ABC Vision.  A consulting firm that focuses on leadership, change, and innovation. He may be reached at abcvision@gmail.com

             David Triviño (davidtrivino@gmail.com) is completing his second year law    studies at the Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law and resides in Macon, Georgia.