Welcome to the USA, Holy Father!

Are you ready for the Holy Father’s visit?

In this post, I hope to provide all that you need to get the most out of the Holy Father’s visit to the U.S.A. to enable it to be a memorable and spiritually enriching experience for you and for all Americans.

Christ our Hope

“The one who has hope lives differently, the one who has hope has been granted the gift of a new life.”

~ Pope Benedict, Spe Salvi, 2

The Need for Prayer

This past Sunday, April 13, in Rome, the Holy Father asked for prayers for "spiritual renewal" that would result from his upcoming apostolic journey to the United States.

He said: "This Tuesday I leave Rome for my visit to the United Nations and the United States of America. With the various groups I shall meet, my intention is to share our Lord's word of life."

"In Christ is our hope! Christ is the foundation of our hope for peace, for justice, and for the freedom that flows from God's law fulfilled in his commandment to love one another.”

"Dear brothers and sisters, I ask you all to pray for the success of my visit, so that it may be a time of spiritual renewal for all Americans. Upon each of you present, I invoke the protection and guidance of Jesus the Good Shepherd.”


Prayer for an Apostolic Visit for the Holy Father

Lord, source of eternal life and truth, give your shepherd, Pope Benedict, a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love.

By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he, as successor to the apostle Peter and Vicar of Christ, build Your Church into a sacrament of unity, love, and peace for all the world.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

What can we expect from the Holy Father’s visit?

Cardinal Sean O'Malley thinks it's likely that the Holy Father will speak out about the abuse crisis when he is here. There continues to be a need for healing and it certainly would be beneficial if he did. Let's pray to the Holy Spirit for Divine wisdom and guidance for the Holy Father.

George Bush's conversion to Catholicism? Who knows? Tony Blair converted to Catholicism and George Bush seems to be more in synch with traditional Catholic values. It's just possible that he might follow in the footsteps of his brother, Jeb. President Bush is certainly pulling out all the stops and is doing his best to welcome The Holy Father with open arms.

The vice president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, Archbishop Octavo Ruiz Arenas, said that during his upcoming trip to the Unites States, Pope Benedict XVI will bring a message of hope to the faithful to encourage them to proclaim the Gospel of Christ with love and enthusiasm.

Resource Guides

I have put together a resource guide for the Holy Father's trip to the USA for this week. Marcel at Aggie Catholics shares additional resources with us in his very comprehensive guide.

The Holy Father's Itinerary in the U.S.A. can be found here.

What is the reaction of Catholics regarding our Holy Father's visit here?

As Jeffrey Tucker at The New Liturgical Movement relates, "Catholics in this country are wild with anticipation for the Pope's visit this week..."

Check out 'We Live It Every Day' -- Pope's Visit Cheers Young Conservatives Who Reject 'Cafeteria Catholicism' in Favor of the Full Menu – The Washington Post

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