Rejeanne & I went to New York to see the Pope without tickets to anything.  We figured we would run around NYC in hopes of catching a glimpse, being in the Shadow of St. Peter for a few seconds.  When we arrived at my niece’s house she gleefully told us we might have a shot of seeing the man in white after all.  Her friend had tickets.  They were for the procession in Central Park.  They were contingent.  We would have them if our donor decided not to go.  We wouldn’t know until the next morning – the day of the procession.

Being optimistic realists we kept to our plan of running all over NYC for our glimpse.  First stop – St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  The avenue was blocked on both sides of the cathedral.   No one knew which direction he would be coming from so the only thing to could do was pick a side and wait.

We picked the wrong side.  Amid tons of flashing blue lights a tiny spot of white emerged from an even tinier Fiat.  I’m pretty sure we were outside the Shadow of St. Peter but we screamed and waved our flags anyway.

Early the next morning we were in line at Central Park.   A few hours later we passed through security and were standing along the procession route as hordes of Catholics closed in behind us.  It was 11:30 a.m.  The Pope was coming at 5:00 p.m.  You couldn’t bring much with you:  a purse, small bag (food & water), phone and camera.   What you had for standing space was what you had for sitting space so while some crunched up theirs legs others stretched theirs.  Then they switched.

Punctuated with laughter and Spanish songs, a murmur of rosaries being said continued through the afternoon.  At 3:30 we all stood.  Children snaked through the crowds to be up front.  We waved to their parents to let them know who was watching which child.  Bursts of cheers as the empty Fiat drove by, as the security teams scooted back and forth in golf carts.  Sometimes we seemed to be cheering for nothing.  Everyone was so excited.

We could hear the roar of the crowds as the Pope Mobile got closer and braced for the surge from behind.  It never came.  Just incredibly loud and joyful shouts of “Papa!”, Papa!” filling the air, a sea of waving flags.  Then tears.  Lots of them and from every direction.  Then laughter again as people shared their photos and videos of the procession with each other.

80,000 people left Central Park at the same time.  No pushing, no rushing, just singing, laughing and photo sharing.  In NYC, 80,000 strangers being kind and polite.  Did I say 80,000 New Yorkers?  Being polite?  No doubt we all had been in the Shadow of St. Peter.  There’s no other explanation.