JOLIET—A little exhaustion couldn’t stop Doug Delaney from beaming April 21 in his office at the Chancery for the Joliet Diocese. The executive assistant to Bishop J. Peter Sartain had just returned from six days of serving alongside about a dozen other media specialists from across the nation. The parish council president of SS. Peter and Paul Parish in Naperville volunteered to be an ambassador for over 5,500 members of the media during Pope Benedict XVI’s first trip to America. “It was almost euphoric to be part of a blessed event,” he commented.

Delaney summarized his work, “To me it was evangelization.” The 56-year-old man stood beside members of the press as they covered various papal visit events—the arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, meeting at the White House, popemobile route between the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, presentation at The Catholic University of America, blessing of disabled children at St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers, NY, celebration of Mass with clergy and religious at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York and celebration of Mass at Yankee Stadium in New York. Delaney assisted the media and explained various traditions of the church.

While each event will be etched into his memory forever, he anticipates being able to clearly recall one particular moment at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. It is the moment that the Holy Father scanned the crowd and looked into Delaney’s eyes. It is also the event when the Holy Father sprinkled Delaney and others with holy water.

“It reinforced my faith,” added Delaney, who has served the Diocese of Lansing, Mich., Archdiocese of Denver and Illinois Catholics as executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois. He acknowledged that the Eucharist consecrated by the pontiff had a special significance when he received it at the Masses.

Delaney was also proud to be a host to the rest of the world as well as a representative of the Catholic Church. The universal reach of the Catholic Church was showcased through the various media representatives present from every continent. The pope’s message “transcends all languages and cultures,” he said.

Catching up on the news reports now, Delaney acknowledged, “We were right in the middle of it, but we couldn’t see the big picture.” He is amazed to look at the pictures and video exhibiting the enormity of the events.

“At every location, he talked about hope. … I think we needed that,” he said. Delaney commented that the Catholic Church is in “transformation” in the United States and the pope’s message of Christ’s hope healed many wounds. He also expressed optimism that the Holy Father’s visit would bring people back to the Church and sacraments.