ARTICLES

Bishops, priests to attend Papal Mass

Both Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo and Bishop Emeritus Walter F. Sullivan will attend a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in Washington on Wednesday, April 16.

The meeting, to occur the first full day of Pope Benedict’s first visit to the United States as pontiff, will be held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

In addition, 67 priests from the diocese and 33 deacons plan to travel on two buses so they can attend the Papal Mass on Thursday, April 17, at the new Nationals Park Stadium. The two charter buses will leave from the Diocese of Richmond Pastoral Center at 7800 Carousel Lane promptly at 3 a.m. and go directly to RFK Stadium in Washington. There the clergy will take shuttle service to Nationals Park where they go through security procedures between 6 and 7 a.m.

Priests are requested to bring albs and red stoles to wear at the Papal Mass. They should arrive at the Pastoral Center no later than 2:45 a.m. to begin boarding the two buses.

Bishop DiLorenzo and Bishop Sullivan will be staying overnight on Wednesday at the Marriott Crystal City Gateway and will be transported to Nationals Park by bus. They, like the other clergy, are required to bring a ticket and a government-issued photo ID which they will have to show to be admitted to the stadium. They will then need to check in at registration tables before proceeding to vesting areas.

Laity from the Diocese of Richmond who were able to secure the 400 tickets allotted to the diocese for the Papal Mass are advised to take public transportation via the Metro which will begin service at 5 a.m. The Navy Yard Metro stop on the Green Line is one block from the entrance to Nationals Park. All who wish to attend the Mass will need to have a ticket and government-issued ID to gain access to the stadium. They will have to go through security procedures and all bags will be searched.

More than 45,000 people are expected to attend the Mass, Pope Benedict’s first major public event in the United States.

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