Although thousands upon thousands of people will get to see Pope Benedict "live" at the various venues, many more thousands upon thousands have been unable to get tickets. Joe Zwilling, spokesman for New York's Cardinal Edward Egan, told me recently that they could have filled Yankee Stadium four or five times over if there had been the time and capability to do so. I have a feeling the same holds true for just about every other event and location. Just look at what happened on Monday, when the Archdiocese of New York offered 5,000 tickets online for folks wanting nothing more than to stand outside St. Patrick's Cathedral while the pope walks by. Its Web site crashed, and the tickets were gone in record time. It's pope-mania out there for sure.
So, if you were not one of the lucky ones to land a ticket for any of the events this week, how can you stay connected to what the pope and your fellow Catholics are doing? The USCCB's blog has a list of recommendations here, including access to its live video streaming of events, as well as suggestions for prayerful connections to the pontiff. You can also check the Vatican Web site for texts and other resources.
And, of course, you should check in at this blog periodically throughout the day every day. We will be providing live coverage of the events in both Washington, D.C., and New York. Stay tuned, and, if you are attending any of the events, be sure to stop in at this blog and leave your comments and reflections so that others can share in the experience.
-- Mary DeTurris Poust
DISQUS for OSV Daily Take
