Paulists make the rounds of radio, TV and print to cover papal visit to U.S.

Father John Geaney, C.S.P. (right), gives a radio interview prior to the papal Mass in Washington, D.C.

by Father Dave Dwyer, C.S.P.
Director of Busted Halo®, the Paulist ministry to young adults

	Deacon Steven Bell, C.S.P., leads the congregation in song during the papal Mass at Nationals Stadium in Washington, D.C., April 17.

A papal visit to the U.S. inevitably means the Missionaries to North America will be out in full force helping to interpret the Catholic Church for America and interpret America for the church. Case in point: the April 2008 apostolic journey of Pope Benedict XVI. Not only could Paulists be found all over the airwaves, in print and on the Internet, but there was also a strong Paulist involvement in the papal events themselves.

The news media made good use of the bilingual abilities of Father Gilbert Martinez, C.S.P. English speakers heard him describing the pope’s welcome ceremony at the White House on MSNBC alongside George Weigel and Pat Buchanan, while Father Martinez gave interviews in his native Spanish on both Telemundo and CNN International. Father Martinez was also asked by New York’s Cardinal Egan to be present at the farewell ceremony for the Holy Father at JFK Airport.

Now a pastor in Memphis, Father John Geaney, C.S.P., who was in full-time media work with the Paulists for 30 years, made a trip to the East Coast to cover the pope’s visit for the Western Tennessee Catholic. It was good to see him back behind the mic describing for a national radio audience what it was like when he helped plan papal visits in years past.

AT TOP: Father Gilbert Martinez, C.S.P. (left), and Father Eric Andrews, C.S.P., attend the Mass for Religious at St. Patrick's Cathedral during Pope Benedict XVI's visit to New York in April 2008. AT BOTTOM: Father Jamie Baca, C.S.P., and Father Jerry Sullivan, C.S.P., at the Mass for Religious at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York during the papal visit of April 2008.

As far as a Paulist presence at the papal liturgies goes, Father Eric Andrews, C.S.P., was one of two priests selected to represent the Diocese of Knoxville at the Mass for American priests and religious at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Deacon Steven Bell, C.S.P., who will be ordained a Paulist priest at our 150th Anniversary celebration in June, had the honor of singing for the pope. He was one of only a handful of cantors to lead the congregation in song or sing solo at the Holy Father’s first public Mass in the U.S. Also in this elite group: Placido Domingo! And those attending that same papal Mass in Washington, D.C., also found themselves singing a contemporary setting of the classic communion hymn “Pange Lingua” composed by none other than our own Father Ricky Manalo, C.S.P.

My role as host of “The Busted Halo® Show” on Sirius Satellite Radio’s The Catholic Channel found me broadcasting live on-location from three different sites in Washington, D.C. and two in New York. The view of the Mass from the press box at the brand-new Nationals Park in D.C. was spectacular. Sirius sunk a good deal of resources into covering the papal trip because they rightly saw it as a unique opportunity to gain new listeners as the American media spotlight shined on the Catholic Church. Sirius’ publicity department also had me making the rounds in the secular media: in a matter of about two weeks I was interviewed by or provided commentary for CBS News, CNN (3 times), Newsweek, The New York Post, The Washington Times, Fox News Channel, and The Today Show on NBC on the White House Lawn with Matt Lauer and Tim Russert.

So, for many of us “Pope Week” was exhausting, but worth it to get the Paulist name out there and help many Americans with only a tenuous connection to the church feel more a part of our big Catholic family.

Read past Paulist Profiles here