Group from Mundelein Seminary headed to see Pope Francis
A dozen people associated with the University of St. Mary of the Lake and its Mundelein Seminary are among the Catholics traveling to see Pope Francis on the pontiff's first visit to the U.S.
The group - comprised of staffers, seminarians and doctoral students - hope to see the pope during his stop in Philadelphia this weekend.
Associate Academic Dean Christopher McAtee is making the trip. He said the pilgrimage is the spiritual focus of the fall semester for the students in the school's doctor of ministry program.
"What better emphasis for our fall term than to make a pilgrimage to experience Pope Francis," said McAtee, who also serves as an assistant professor and leads a doctoral ministry program.
A Wisconsin resident, McAtee and his group are flying to Philadelphia on Saturday. They plan to attend a gathering called the Festival of Families that night and a Papal Mass the following afternoon.
They'll fly home Monday.
As you'd expect, McAtee said he'd love to meet Pope Francis. If that doesn't happen, the group is prepared to take photographs with a replica McAtee called "Flat Francis," after the popular Flat Stanley book series and photography project.
This won't be McAtee's first trip to see a pope. In 1979, McAtee and his family drove from their home in Davenport, Iowa, to Des Moines to see Pope John Paul II lead a Mass there during his visit to the U.S.
McAtee remembers the trip fondly.
"We took buses from the Adventureland Amusement Park to Living History Farms and waited six (or) seven hours for Mass," he said. "Everyone was friendly, sharing water and food and being patient until Mass started."
The Rev. Alex Ojacor, a priest studying in the seminary's ministry program, is part of McAtee's group. Having the chance to see and hear the pope in person "is a great spiritual opportunity," he said.
"And of course the whole world is watching and listening as well," Ojacor said.
McAtee's group will be focused on the papal visit and their faith while in Philadelphia. Historical sightseeing isn't part of their plan.
"Our priority is to see Pope Francis and to make our trip a spiritual pilgrimage that draws us closer to the Lord," he said. "I also expect that the experience of being with so many other Catholics will have (a) spiritual impact as well. It will allow us to see the diversity of gifts in our church."