A Reporter’s Notebook Washington, D.C., – Thursday, April 17
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Open Confession
The long lines for confession caught the attention of secular reporters and camera crews, who spoke to penitents waiting to enter the open tents at the Confession Plaza. One passerby remarked, "You can ask them anything but their sins."
Sister Parousia, of the Servants of the Lord, worked with other members of her community giving out guides to confession that were printed in five different languages. "When they told me that I would be helping to prepare them for a good confession I was so excited," she said. "I didn’t mind getting up extra early because this is serving the Lord and his people."
Winning Video
Libby Wittman, 16, a sophomore at Seton High School in Manassas, Va., was one of the winners of the youth video contest sponsored by the Archdiocese of Washington. Her three-minute, fast-paced film was a welcome to the Holy Father and was made with four friends from her school. "We really wanted to make something that would show the spirit of the young people and how they feel about the pope," she said. The film was shown on the stadium jumbo screen during the festivities in the hours before Mass. "I’m not going to believe it when I see them show it," Libby said.
Catholic Terps
Derek Ho wore a T-shirt advertising the website of the Catholic group at the University of Maryland: www.catholicterps.org. He is a lay missionary for FOCUS, which sends young people to live near campuses to evangelize. Fellow student Mae Yan, who grew up in China, said she converted to Catholicism during her time at U-Maryland. "It’s a really big campus, and sometimes it’s difficult for the Catholic students to find time to get together, but there’s always Mass and a number of activities," she said.
Pro-Life Support
Andy and Cookie Pontzer were pleased with the pope’s many references to defending human life from conception to natural death. She is the pro-life representative at Holy Face Parish in Great Mills, Maryland, and her husband is a member of the Knights of Columbus council there. They attended the Mass with two of their three sons: Eddie, age 7, who wore a Wolf Scout cap, and John Paul, 5, who wore a Tiger Scout cap. Three-year-old Andrew stayed at home. “We worked together on a letter-writing campaign to our Maryland lawmakers," Cookie said. "The pro-life issue is so foundational. I see the pope on TV and now in person and I fall more in love with him each time."
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