Plus: Diocese of Saginaw Pilgrims to leave this Sunday morning to attend World Meeting of Families and Papal Mass in Philadelphia; and, where to find live continuous coverage of the Holy Father's visit
SAGINAW — With great anticipation, the Most Rev. Joseph R. Cistone, Bishop of Saginaw, will bring the prayers and love of the People of the Diocese of Saginaw with him when he travels to Washington, D.C. next week to greet Pope Francis.
"I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting the Holy Father during our diocesan pilgrimage last year to Rome," said Bishop Cistone. "I am very much looking forward to my time with him and my brother bishops in our nation's capital next week."
Bishop Cistone will be among approximately 300 American bishops who will gather for midday prayer with Pope Francis at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. He will have an opportunity to personally greet and welcome Pope Francis to the United States and bring with him the prayers and love of the people of the Diocese of Saginaw. Bishop Cistone, along with several priests from the Diocese of Saginaw, will also concelebrate at the papal Mass for the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families on Sunday, September 27 in Philadelphia.
In addition to his meeting with the bishops, Pope Francis will meet with President Obama at the White House, celebrate a Mass of Canonization of Junipero Serra and address a joint meeting of Congress. He will then travel to New York City where he will address the United Nations General Assembly, attend a multi-religious service at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, visit a Catholic school in Harlem and celebrate Mass at Madison Square Garden. He will conclude his Apostolic Journey to the United States in Philadelphia where the World Meeting of Families is taking place. It is anticipated that upwards of 1.5 million people may attend the meeting's closing Mass.
Among those in attendance at the closing Mass will be faithful from the Diocese of Saginaw. A group of 22 pilgrims, which includes several priests and religious sisters, will depart for Philadelphia from the diocesan Center for Ministry, 5802 Weiss St., this Sunday morning, September 20, at 8 a.m. The group will attend the World Meeting of Families and also make time to tour the shrines of St. John Neumann and St. Katharine Drexel while in Philadelphia.
"I am praying that the Holy Spirit will touch all of our pilgrims . . . that their hearts may be on fire and that the spirit of Pope Francis will help deepen their faith and love of Jesus," said Annette O'Brien, who helped coordinate the pilgrimage for the Diocese of Saginaw. O'Brien serves as the director of Stewardship and CSA Marketing for the Diocese of Saginaw.
In more ways than ever available before, people at home will be able to virtually participate in the historic visit of Pope Francis to the United States. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will live-stream over six days of free online video coverage of papal events. All events will be live streamed in English with audio commentary from the USCCB website at: http://www.usccb.org/live
All events will also be available for video on demand at the following link (events will be available shortly after their conclusion): http://www.usccb.org/about/leadership/holy-see/francis/papal-visit-2015/papal-visit-2015-video-on-demand.cfm
For smartphone or tablet users, live-streaming and video on demand as well as up to the minute news and photos will be available on the USA Catholic Church app on iOS and Android. The app can be downloaded for free by visiting www.USACatholic.Church.
Additionally, Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) will provide continuous live coverage. Heavy network and cable news coverage is also expected.
Links to all of the above coverage sites will be available on the diocesan website, Saginaw.org, while photos capturing the experiences of Bishop Cistone and our pilgrims will also be highlighted.