Pope Francis will visit the United States next week and several St. Bonaventure students have been given the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. to attend this once-in-a-lifetime event.
From Sept. 22 to 24, 10 students will participate in young-adult-oriented group activities, designed to further prepare them for Pope Francis’ visit.
These faith-based activities are centered around the pope’s key advocacy points: non-violence, service and environmental sustainability, said Jason Damon, a senior history major who worked with coordinator Maggie Morris, the program director of the Warming House and Bona Buddies, to make these events possible.
According to Damon, these particular topics will be discussed during the pope’s visit to the capital, particularly in his political endeavors.
For some, it’s not the first time seeing the pope.
“Last spring, my family and I had the incredible chance to attend Mass in St. Peter’s Square with Pope Francis,” LaurieAnne Wickens, a junior management major, said. “Hearing him speak and just being in the presence of someone so incredible, yet so down-to-earth, was indescribable.”
As the head of state of Vatican City, Pope Francis will meet with President Obama and later give a speech to the Senate and House of Representatives in a joint Congress session, added Damon. These sessions will highlight the messages practiced in the group faith-based activities.
Although the Catholic Church initially gave out free tickets to the papal events, they filled quickly. Despite the difficulty of obtaining tickets, the university was able to quickly plan a small trip through the help of the Franciscan Action Network, an organization dedicated to promoting Franciscan justice efforts throughout the United States.
Damon said he was able to contact the Franciscan Action Network in order to make this trip happen. The group will be staying at the William Penn House, a Quaker hospitality center on Capitol Hill, where they will be able to connect with other faith-based groups to celebrate and prepare for the festivities, Damon said.
Damon stressed the importance of this particular papal visit due to its influence on young adults in the Catholic Church. He added that Pope Francis has been recognized as someone who appeals to younger generations because of his ability to explain Church teachings in a modern light.
“He’s not changing the message of The Church,” Damon said. “He’s not saying anything dramatically different. He’s communicating in a different way.”
Damon also said that Pope Francis’ success has been supplemented by his tactful skills as a political figure.
“Pope Francis is living in an era of unprecedented media access,” Damon said. “He has a balance of both doctrinal and pastoral teachings that help him navigate through political parties.”
Damon said he believes that the most important lesson to learn from the papal visit is the importance of practicing the teachings learned in the faith-based groups and living them out on a daily basis.
“These training activities are trying to facilitate what Pope Francis is trying to say, and what the Catholic Church is trying to say,” Damon said. “This applies to all creation, not just to people in the Church. It should encourage us to do something that’s authentic. It’s not faith-based, it’s faith-rooted.”
rootcm14@bonaventure.edu
