Expect more babies born after the papal visit to be named after the current pope.
I was talking with Jem Sullivan, a professor of theology at Dominican House of Studies near Catholic University and the adoptive mom of a little boy named...well, you've guessed it.

It all started in October 2004, and she and her husband, Scott, traveled to Italy for an art exhibition. They decided to go to Subiaco, the Italian site where the original Saint Benedict — at the age of 14 — lived as a hermit in the late fifth century before he began founding monasteries.

"We always had a fondness for St. Benedict," she told me. "We fell in love with the place. It was mountainous and absolutely breathtaking. On this amazing hill, you have carved into the rock the actual cave in which he lived. We were in that cave and we looked at each other and said, 'That's the name of our son.'
"

Five months later, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger picked Benedict as his new name. In August 2005, a little boy was born in Guatemala. He eventually came north to live with the Sullivans.

"There is a Catholic tradition of naming your child after the present pope and there are a lot of boys named John Paul," his mom told me. "I am fascinated by the fact the pope picked the name Benedict which gives us a great insight into his papacy and the kind of issues that are important to him."

Such as?

LEFT: Benedict Sullivan, age 2 1/2. (Photo courtesy of Dominican House of Studies)

She reminded me that Saint Benedict was the founder of western monasticism and that religious orders to this day follow his "Rule of Saint Benedict" that regulated a life of prayer and work for his monks. This was also an era during the Dark Ages when persecuted Christians were transitioning to becoming the religion of the western world beginning with the crowning of King Charlemagne (by Pope Leo III) as head of the Holy Roman Empire on Dec. 25, 800 AD.

"He moved Christianity to a new phase," she said, "to where the monasteries became the centers of European villages and towns. Saint Benedict was instrumental in that transition. Likewise, the present pope wants to help Europe rediscover its Christian heritage."

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

Why have a pope visit your church if you can't even see him?

That's the plight of some 2,000 parishioners at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, a historic German parish in Manhattan's Yorkville section at 404 E. 87th Street. Late the afternoon of April 18, Benedict XVI will lead an ecumenical prayer service there for about 300 people.

I phoned up the new minister there, the Rev. Michael Sullivan, to find out how his 113-year-old Romanesque-revival-style church is handling the mob that will descend.

"I have nothing to do with this," the priest admitted. "The cardinal is inviting all the guests and none of the parishioners can get tickets."

His church does get an allotment of 27 tickets for the Yankee stadium Mass. Those won't go far.

"Imagine 27 tickets for the entire parish," he said. He will ask the parish council president to decide who gets to go. I called the archdiocese and they said they are looking into ways to get at least some of the parishioners involved.

Those who are on the ecumenical guest list don't have it easy, either, as they have to be in place two hours before the pope arrives. Once in the church, they are basically not allowed to move. Let's hope the restrooms are within the security perimeter.

And once the pontiff arrives, he's only speaking for 20 minutes, Father Sullivan said.

Even though St. Joseph's (note resemblance to the pope's first name in his prior incarnation as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) has a monthly German Mass that attracts about 30 people, few if any of the regular parishioners speak the language. The priest, 73, is the son of Irish, not German immigrants.

The recently renovated church has stained-glass windows with inscriptions in German and is said to be quite pretty, judging from the accompaning photo from the church's web site. But it may not get so much as a plaque commemorating the papal footprints.

Renovated sanctuary at St. Joseph's in Yorkville

"What's going to happen here at St. Joseph's is a very simple thing," the priest said. "He's making a visit and then he'll be gone. That's it."

Additional note: Check out this interview by the Journal News about the man at the New York archdiocese who is the top adminstrator on all things papal at this site. I managed to get through to Mark Ackermann as he was eating lunch at his desk. A former administrator at St. Vincent's hospital in lower Manhattan, he termed his new temp job "very rewarding, enjoyable and truly a privilege."

I asked him what it really is like.

"It's a moving target," he said.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

Before I insert the latest press release from the archdiocese, let me add what a *pain* it has been to apply for press credentials for the papal visit. I am the lucky person sending in applications for all the reporters involved in this effort and thus have been wrestling with the software on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops site. The deadline for media applications is Thursday. Some 14,000 requests were sent in for the 1995 papal visit, just to give you an idea of the numbers involved.

Most of you out there in reader-land will not see how the sausage is made in terms of what it's like to cover these events but believe me, for the journalists involved, it's a mega- undertaking. As a veteran of John Paul II's 1987 trip through the Bible Belt, I remember the legions of reporters assigned to the event and how entire cities shut down - for security reasons - when the pontiff was in town. Just getting to the venues and waiting in the security lines, much less transmitting the stories back to a home base, was an all-day affair.

Speaking of time-consuming, someone over at the archdiocese has been a busy beaver in terms of putting together curriculum for Catholic Sunday school kids. Check here for all the pope prep you can give your kids.

Following is the archdiocese's announcement about the crucifix to be used at the Nationals stadium Mass:

Crucifix from St. Mark Church in Hyattsville to be Used for Papal Mass
The nearly 14-foot tall crucifix suspended above the altar of St. Mark Church in Hyattsville, Maryland will have an unusual new home for a few days this April: Nationals Park baseball stadium. The crucifix has been selected to form the backdrop for the April 17 Mass with Pope Benedict XVI.
“This is an honor for our parish, to have the cross that hangs over our altar to hang over the altar during the Mass that Pope Benedict will be celebrating," said Rev. John McKay, pastor of St. Mark parish, which serves a thriving bilingual community (English and Spanish), and is located at 7501 Adelphi Road.
The Archdiocese of Washington undertook a search for a crucifix that would be large enough to be in scale with the 50-foot-square sanctuary and also moveable. The one in St. Mark's was installed when the church was built in 1999, and is suspended with airplane cable. The cross was made of walnut by Buster Watkins of Barnesville, Maryland. The corpus, or body of Christ, was purchased through McKay Church Goods of Ohio.

Photo: Archdiocese of Washington

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

No word yet on who gets to go to the papal Mass at the new Nationals stadium April 17, but if you are a registered Catholic and want to go, sign up with your parish tout de suite.

Archdiocesan parishes get blocks of tickets according to their Mass attendance percentage. I still don't see how 45,000 people are going to squeeze in there. At last count, 55 dioceses have also asked for tickets. One of the interesting stories of this papal visit will be which VIPs get to go.

I talked with Sean Caine, communications director for the Archdiocese of Baltimore about all this. Baltimorians were allowed to sign up off the archdiocesan web site starting at 9 a.m. Ash Wednesday.

The 3,500-person limit was reached one hour later. Requests for some 1,000 tickets for the New York Mass at Yankee stadium filled up by the end of the day.

The pope's visit is in honor of Baltimore's elevation to archdiocesan status in 1808; the same time the dioceses of New York, Boston, Louisville and Philadelphia were created.

Baltimore got requests from as far away as California.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these people," he said. "People are clamoring to get these tickets and are trying everything to get them."

Also, take a look on a recent column by columnist George Weigel on the diplomatic dance between the Holy See and Islamic leaders which is right here.

A meeting between the two may occur in March.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

More information continues to seep out about Pope Benedict's swing through Washington in about two months. Fortunately for him, he's picked one of the nicest times of the year to be in the District. Unfortunately for the trip organizers, getting hotel rooms for the papal entourage, Italian press corps, etc., during this most popular time of year, has been quite a headache.

Thanks to a three-hour discussion last week with archdiocesan spokeswoman Susan Gibbs, we got a better run-down on the pontiff's first three days on U.S. soil. He gets in late afternoon on April 15, arriving at Andrews Air Force Base, no doubt a little bit jetlagged.

Next morning he's at the White House meeting President Bush and various State Department officials. After lunch with various cardinals at the papal nunciature on Massachusetts Avenue, his next meeting is not until 5:30 pm. at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Very Italian, this pope; except for Sunday, there's siesta time scheduled in each day of the trip.

We're not sure at which point he's going to celebrate his 81st birthday that day. My daughter turns 3 that same day so if he's up for a photo op with a little munchkin, Miss Olivia Veronika says she'd be glad to put in an appearance.

By the way, the Washington archdiocese has created a foundation, Christ Our Hope, to help pay for this visit but there's nothing about it posted on the archdiocesan Web site yet. Someone's got to pay for the $1.5 million a day this event is said to cost.

Thursday the 17th is going to be the one day Washingtonians have much hope of actually seeing the pope. If you're not one of the fortunate 45,000 to get into Nationals stadium, you may be able to line one of the streets -- probably near Catholic University -- where the popemobile may go. Yes, the famous glassed-in popemobile is being flown in for the occasion. More on his exact route in the coming weeks.

Just super-sizing the stadium Mass will be quite the undertaking. Three hundred priests will be handing out Communion wafers to 45,000 people in about 20 minutes.

One hundred priests will be on hand to hear confessions. Doors will open about 6 a.m. with a cast of thousands at the ready. Pray for decent weather.

If you're looking for more info and happen to be a 20 or 30-something Catholic, Archbishop Wuerl will be answering questions on the pope and his visit at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 at Ireland's Four Fields, 3412 Connecticut Ave. NW during a meeting of Theology on Tap. ToT is a monthly Q&A between a priest (usually) and beer-imbibing young Catholics.

The archdiocese is going to pull out all the stops for this visit, no doubt about that.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

Many apologies here for being behind on this blog.

Lots of things have happened since we last posted. The Archdiocese of Washington is having tryouts this and next week for the 250-person choir that will sing at the pope's April 17 Mass at Nationals stadium. Since tickets will be tightly rationed for this one public event of the Pope Benedict's Washington visit, one would think that enterprising individuals wishing a peep at His Holiness would simply sign up to sing.
Not so fast.

Auditions for this choir are being kept secret. No joke. According to the archdiocesan press office, information on the tryouts have long since been sent to music ministers around the archdiocese. Some choristers from the neighboring Arlington diocese will get to audition too although invites are only going out to folks who are currently active in parish music ministry. It's a puzzle why these tryouts are happening in undisclosed locations. Who are the undesirables likely to crash a papal choir practice?

According to the diocesan newspaper, 200-300 more people will fill the ranks of "additional choirs that represent the rich cultural heritage" of the archdiocese, so there's always that if you missed the main group.

I've had no luck in getting ahold of the person directing music for this Mass: Tom Stehle, the music director at Our Lady of Mercy in Potomac. As messages have been left on his voice mail, I would so appreciate it if he'd get back to me. Thanks to the Whispers in the Loggia blog, I have been made aware that this is the same gentleman who was the cantor at Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl's installation Mass in Pittsburgh back in 1988. My guess is that this might have had a bearing on who was selected as music director for the Mass.

I've had better luck contacting the Rev. James Massa, executive director for ecumenical and interreligious affairs at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops who is putting together the April 17 interfaith gathering at the John Paul II Cultural Center near Catholic University. While interviewing him on the changes the Vatican made this week on its Latin-rite Good Friday prayer for the Jews (the full story is here), I asked him who's on the guest list for this event.

Invitations will go out by early March to about 200 people, he said, "mostly to people of national prominence in interreligious dialogue." The pope will give a speech to representatives from these religions: Hinduism, Sikhism, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. If you think you should be on that list, now's the time to inform Father Massa.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times

In the better-late-than-never category, here's news from last month about the designers of the papal altar, courtesy of Catholic University's press office:

Photo: Tony Fiorini at CUA

Washington, DC. January 28, 2008 — The winning architectural design by two Catholic University students for a 10-by-4-foot papal altar and a pulpit, lectern and chair that Pope Benedict XVI will use when he celebrates Mass in Washington, D.C., was unveiled today at The Catholic University of America, D.C., in partnership with the Archdiocese of Washington.

The model by John-Paul Mikolajczyk, of Staten Island, N.Y., and Ryan Mullen, of Manchester, N.H., both candidates in the master's program at Catholic University's School of Architecture and Planning, shows an altar with a substantial top, a repeating pattern of decorative parabolic arches beneath it and a smaller base.

The front of the pulpit (or ambo), where the Holy Father will read the Gospel, is adorned with images of the Bible and the Holy Trinity. The tall chair back is decorated with Pope Benedict XVI's papal coat of arms.

At the unveiling, Most Rev. Donald W. Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, said that the design is "a tribute to this school of architecture, Catholic University and the quality of students here.

"It's very exciting knowing this work you designed and were so focused on doing the best you can do — all those people are going to be looking at this and you'll be able to say, 'He's standing at my altar.'"

Mikolajczyk and Mullen will work with architecture faculty and the Archdiocese of Washington to fine-tune the design and actually construct the altar and the other furnishings at the Crough Center. The four pieces will become part of the sanctuary for the Mass that Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate April 17 at the city's new baseball stadium, Nationals Park. Following the Mass, the pontiff will give a major address on Catholic education at CUA.

The two graduate students were assisted by Rachel Bailey, of Napa, Calif., and Victoria Engelstad, of Bradley Beach, N.J., both seniors in CUA's undergraduate architecture program.

Mikolajczyk and Mullen explained that for design inspiration, they spent an afternoon at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception studying the altar furnishings. "We wanted to incorporate elements that would remind us of Christ's active presence and work in the liturgy," said Mikolajczyk.

One of the jurors, Monsignor Barry Knestout, who holds a degree in architecture and is overseeing planning for the sanctuary at the papal Mass, praised the winning design for its "delicacy and elegance. The winners obviously gave deep thought to the design and how it related to the implementation of the pieces."

Twenty-one entries were submitted for the design competition, or charrette, which was held last week at CUA's Edward M. Crough Center for Architectural Studies, where the winners were announced.

The top award for the design competition will receive a $1,500 prize. The second-place winner will receive $1,000 and five honorable-mention winners will each receive $500. The proposed designs will be displayed at the Crough Center for about a week.

Mikolajczyk, 23, who earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 2007 from Catholic University, is enrolled in the first year of CUA's three-year Master of Architecture program. A graduate of Monsignor Farrell High School in Staten Island, N.Y., he was a member at CUA of the Eta Sigma Phi Classics Club and participated in Habitat for Humanity, Students for Life and DC Reads through the Office of Campus Ministry.

Mikolajczyk, who volunteers as an altar server at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, is a member of the Knights of Columbus and the International Order of Alhambra.

Mullen, 24, who earned both a bachelor's degree in architecture and a bachelor's in civil engineering in 2007 from Catholic University, is expected to earn his master's in December 2008. A graduate of Trinity High School in Manchester, N.H., Mullen was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Construction Specifications Institute as a CUA undergraduate.

Also a member of the Knights of Columbus, Mullen participated in Students for Life and DC Reads as an undergraduate. Mullen, who is a student in the design technologies concentration, also holds both teaching and research positions in the areas of structures and digital computation.

Students, working individually or in teams of up to four people, prepared their models and drawings over an intense few days of work between Jan. 18 and Jan. 23. The entries were judged on Jan. 24.

The jurors, who were chosen by the archdiocese, included Monsignor Knestout; Jane G. Belford, chancellor of the archdiocese; Bishop Francisco Gonzalez, S.F., auxiliary bishop of Washington; and Monsignor W. Ronald Jameson, rector of the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington.

"This was an incredible opportunity for CUA's School of Architecture and Planning and for the university at large," said Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, C.M., university president. "Architecture Dean Randall Ott and his outstanding faculty have the privilege of serving so many talented students who come here to study and grow in their professional development.

"I could not be prouder of this school and of all the students who participated in this design process. They will never forget the opportunity they have been given here as we all look forward to Pope Benedict's visit to campus in April."

Catholic University's School of Architecture and Planning is the largest in the Washington, D.C., area. The school offers a bachelor of science in architecture, master of architecture and master of architectural studies and its graduate program concentrations include cultural studies/sacred space, design technologies, digital media, real estate development and urban design. For more information see architecture.cua.edu.

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times