Catholic Explorer

Patty Bailey, the youth minister at Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Bourbonnais, holds the ticket she used to enter Yankee Stadium in New York City for the April 20 Mass with Pope Benedict XVI.

With thousands of other believers, Patty Bailey awaited the entrance of Pope Benedict XVI April 20 inside Yankee Stadium in New York City. As the hours passed before the pontiff’s arrival, the youth minister at Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Bourbonnais, emphasized, “You could feel the excitement rising.”

Chills moved through her body as the leader of the church made his way toward the makeshift altar aboard the famous popemobile. For a few seconds, Bailey glimpsed the pope’s face. “I think he was overwhelmed by the reception and by how much we love him. It was just wonderful,” said the 45-year-old woman of faith.

The mother of five young adult children, who are each attending different colleges, traveled to the East Coast with her husband, Tom, and their 21-year-old son, Patrick. The mom and dad gave the trip to the young man as a present for his 21st birthday, she told the Catholic Explorer. The Baileys made the trek with a handful of others from the Diocese of Joliet. About 50 tickets were granted to members of the diocese.

When Paul Mach, the catechetical associate for youth ministries of the Joliet diocesan Religious Education Office, contacted her, the parish youth minister said she quickly accepted his offer to “see the pope.” Bailey said she wanted to be part of his first visit to the United States as the leader of the Catholic Church. “It’s such a part of history,” she said.

Bailey’s group stayed at a Franciscan friary in the Bronx. Her friends, Ken and Michelle Barrie, the youth ministers of the consolidated youth group of St. Patrick and St. Teresa parishes in Kankakee, helped make the lodging arrangements for the small group of pilgrims from the diocese, said Bailey. Their son is a member of the order, she explained.

Praying with the friars and interacting with them enhanced the trip, said Bailey. “It wouldn’t have been the same experience if we would have stayed at a hotel,” she said. Spending time with the religious men put them into the right spiritual mindset for the afternoon Mass with Pope Benedict, she added.

Reflecting upon the experience, Bailey said she hadn’t made the wrong choice in accepting the tickets. Looking around at the others gathered for the Mass, she said she could feel the vitality of the church. “It’s young, alive, healthy and proud,” she said. “It was a really moving experience.”

Many have criticized the Holy Father’s visit because of the financial burden it has placed on the Vatican, the American church and the travelers who came to catch a glimpse of Pope Benedict, mentioned Bailey. Some have said these resources could have been used to serve the poor. However, she pointed out that all who attended the papal events or watched them on television had their faith deepened. She said she prays that they will take the experience with them for the rest of their lives and bring Christ’s love to others. “I know it will have a rippling effect.”

Like his famous predecessor, Pope Benedict is relying especially on young people from across the world to continue to spread the Gospel message, said Bailey. The pontiff “carries hope on the backs of the youth of our church,” she said. “We are such a living church … The church is so alive.”

Bailey said she is still processing all of what she heard and saw throughout the trip. One thing is certain, she stressed, she plans to tell the teenagers of her parish that the Holy Father “believes in them.”

Involved in youth ministry for seven years at Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Bailey said she believes that young people are going to find ways to meet the pope’s challenge. “They’re getting it more than my generation did … Their faith is deeper and more profound. They inspire me,” she said.

Hundreds of teens participate in youth programs at the Bourbonnais parish, according to Bailey. The join together to worship the Lord and to serve the poor, she said. They are answering the Holy Father’s call to “put God into their everyday lives,” she added.

The trip didn’t change Bailey’s religious convictions. It affirmed them, she mentioned. “It was a boost to my ministry” of “raising church leaders” and letting them know “how much the church loves them,” she added.

When she heard the young people chanting the pope’s name and later listening attentively to his message, Bailey said she immediately thought of her career choice. She said she thought to herself, “Yep … I’m on the right road. I’m doing the right thing and I’m going to keep doing it.”