Alumni Jacqueline Corbin-Armstrong and Elizabeth Briones spent time chatting during the hours before the Mass.

For ticketed guests at the papal Mass, waiting is part of the experience. On big screens, the early faithful watched Pope Francis on his parade route along the Ellipse. They cheered along with those who had lined the streets for a glimpse of the Pontiff.

In their seats at noon, CUA alumni Elizabeth Briones, B.A. 2014, and Jacqueline Corbin-Armstrong, B.A 1985, M.S.M. 2015, marveled at the view of the altar and made fast friends. “Catholic University is my home. It was very important for me to come back and be here for the visit of the Holy Father,” Briones said.

“I agree,” said Corbin-Armstrong. “It’s so wonderful to be back on campus and to celebrate Mass with this community that is like family.” After Mass, Corbin-Armstrong is headed to the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia where she hopes to see Pope Francis again, after serving as music director on Friday for an Archdiocese of the Military Services Mass.

Susana Quinonez, who is originally from Peru, became emotional when she saw her seat and her view of the altar. She is an employee of Georgetown University, and got her ticket from a co-worker who won it through the university’s lottery and gave it to Quinonez knowing what this Mass means to her.

“This is a dream come true,” said Quinonez. “It touches my heart and soul that the Mass will be celebrated in my native language.”

Many students established their turf early in the standing-room section in hopes of getting a good view of Pope Francis when he arrives on campus.

“This Pope is someone you want to emulate,” said Ryan Goldschmidt, a senior nursing student from Hillsborough, N.J. “It will be amazing to see him here, and to show our school off to the world.”

With four hours to go before Mass, friends from the class of 1988, Lisa Geis and Tracey McCormack, were catching up when they realized this would be the first time they were attending Mass together since their Baccalaureate Mass. “It’s pretty cool to share this experience with old friends.”

Mass timelapse from CUA Video on Vimeo.

As she walked to Ward Hall across a campus that was still mostly calm, viola player Megan DiGeorgia, who graduated in 2015, said she was still in a state of disbelief that she would be playing for a papal Mass in only a few hours.

Members of the CUA Symphony Orchestra are seen in Ward Hall hours before the Papal Mass.

“It’s such an amazing experience,” she said. “It still hasn’t quite hit me how big of a deal this is. I think my brain knows it, but I don’t know if I’m going to really understand it for a little while.”

DeGeorgia was also excited that the Pope would come to her own University campus.

“It’s so special for the people who are here right now,” she said. “As musicians, our goal for today is to glorify God through the gifts we’ve been given.”

Christine Laird, a master’s student and member of the chamber choir, was walking toward Ward Hall at the same time. She said she also had a hard time comprehending what the day would be like.

“We’ve been rehearsing for several weeks, but I don’t think we quite get the magnitude of it,” she said. “I don’t think it will be until it’s all put together, when all the people are here, that we will finally understand and see what we are singing for. It’s going to be really overwhelming.”

Downstairs in Ward Hall, a trio of brass players were retrieving their instruments and warming up in the piano lab.

Junior Matthew Fitzsimmons, a trumpet player, said he felt honored and excited to be playing a role in today’s papal Mass.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s actually happening,” he said. “I’ve never been part of something this big. It’s a huge honor.”

Freshman Christopher Gillie, a french horn player, was also warming up before the Mass, which more than 25,000 people are expected to attend.

“This is definitely nerve-wracking,” he said. “This is the largest audience I’ll probably ever play for — probably the largest audience anyone here will ever play for.”

Having only started college a month ago, Gillie said the rehearsals for the papal Mass were a great way to meet other students, alumni, and local musicians.

“I didn’t know I’d have this opportunity,” he said. “It’s a pretty cool way to start my college career.”

Faculty member Eric Moore, who teaches french horn, was also eagerly awaiting the day’s Mass. A former member of the U.S. Navy Band, Moore said he has played for presidents and other government officials in the past, but that playing for a pope is unique.

“I came up here on the Metro and saw people who have come from long distances for this,” Moore said. “As a musician, this is different. It’s not like playing for a military or political figure. This is something bigger than that and more inspiring than that.”

Freshmen volunteers Sarah Lynch, Andrea Galeano, and Briana Marcinauskis.

One thousand volunteers were the first to arrive this morning between 7 and 8 a.m. After picking up their credentials and official blue polo shirts, they had a few moments to enjoy the blue sky over the campus of Catholic University and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. In the relative calm before 25,000 ticket holders began coming through the security check points, many took time to reflect on the meaning of the day.

“I feel so much pride that my alma mater and the place I work is hosting the Pope. What a powerful moment. My prayer on the way here this morning was that this papal visit will change people. For those with strong faith, that it will only get deeper. For those lost in their faith, that this will plant a seed of hope,” said Emmjolee Mendoza Waters, associate director of Campus Ministry.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said freshman business major Sarah Lynch.  “I decided the minute we got the email this summer about the opportunity to volunteer that that’s what I wanted to do.”

Her friend Briana Marcinauskis, also a freshman business major, agreed. “I didn’t want to just watch it, I wanted to be a part of it. I want to walk with Francis and that’s why I volunteered.”

Kyra Lyons, executive director of the Office of Alumni Relations, is on duty as a seating volunteer and as she geared up to take her spot on the lawn, she said she was looking forward to seeing alumni back on campus for this historic event. “I’m so pleased that we were able to provide tickets to so many alumni. What a wonderful occasion for them to reconnect with their alma mater. I can’t wait to see them all and share our pride in Catholic University.”

Student volunteers label chairs for Wednesday’s papal Mass.

As musicians — including the CUA Symphony Orchestra and the University Chamber Choir — practice their pieces on a side stage, reporters from local and national television stations are readying their camera equipment on top of the newly-constructed media riser in front of John K. Mullen of Denver Library. Faculty experts have been speaking with the media, including President John Garvey, who joined reporter Lester Holt from NBC Nightly News for an interview on the roof of O’Connell Hall.

The liturgical committee is in high gear at the Basilica, preparing the altar, hanging the crucifix, and preparing tens of thousands of communion wafers — including a low-gluten variety — for tomorrow’s Mass.

Elsewhere on campus, students are navigating new routes as they walk between classes, which are still in session. In addition to the large number of bike racks put in place earlier this month for security reasons, students now face new obstacles: rows of porta-potties, ATMs, and quickly constructed food and souvenir stands.

Many students have been finding time during the day to investigate the scene on the University Mall, where 15,000 seats have been set up and numbered in preparation for the canonization Mass.

Student Victor Esposito is seen with his tickets to view Pope Francis’s address to Congress from the Capital.

In the early afternoon, students lined up at the information desk in the Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center, where the office of Jon Sawyer, associate vice president for student affairs and the dean of students, was distributing 700 tickets for students to view the Pope’s address to a joint meeting of Congress from the West Front of the Capital. The tickets were awarded to the University from the House of Representatives.

Freshman Briana Marcinauskis was among the students who received a ticket to the Capital.

“I was going back and forth (on whether I wanted the tickets) because I know I’m going to be so tired, but then I thought, ‘It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said. “I got down (to the Pryzbyla Center) and they had five left so I grabbed two of them.”

Walking around campus the day before Pope Francis’s visit is “a little overwhelming,” Marcinauskis said. “Hearing all the music all day has been crazy, but people are really excited.”

Last Day Preps & Rehearsal from CUA Video on Vimeo.

Professor Simeone Tartaglione is conductor of the orchestra, which is composed of 40 students, faculty, and alumni. The orchestra began rehearsals on Sept. 3.

Dr. Leo Nestor, conductor of the University Chamber Choir, leads a rehearsal in Ward Hall.

“Even with the limited number of rehearsals we had, everyone stepped up to the challenge and prepared for a wonderful performance, inspired by the shining personality of Pope Francis,” said Tartaglione.

Professor Leo Nestor, who will be conducting the orchestra and chamber choir of 28 singers during the Mass, said he is looking forward to Wednesday’s papal Mass. Prior to the Mass, his choir will have had only three weeks of rehearsals.

“It really puts the responsibility on us to prove what kinds of musicians we are,” Nestor said. “Having a beautiful voice is important, but if you can’t pick up this piece of music and sing it beautifully the first time then we are not doing our job as professors. Those who are performing at this Mass, a single sophomore through senior doctoral students, alumnae and faculty, are among our very finest.”

Among the pieces to be performed during Wednesday’s Mass are three compositions by Nestor, including the introit, the communion antiphon, and an original work that will be performed during the communion rite, “I Am the Living Bread.”

“It’s the fourth time I’ve been commissioned to write for the Holy Father when he has come to the United States,” said Nestor. Previously he has composed pieces for Pope John Paul II’s visits to Los Angeles in 1984 and to St. Louis in 1999, as well as Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Washington, D.C., in 2008.

“We could not be more honored,” Nestor said, adding that CUA musicians are most moved to join with Pope Francis in celebrating the Eucharist. “He’s coming to break bread with us, to preside at the Eucharist, which is what Jesus Christ commanded us to do every day of our lives. It’s both durable and exceptional.”

Tartaglione also said he is “extremely honored and fortunate” to have a part in the papal Mass.

Musicians from the Symphony Orchestra who will be performing during the Canonization Mass rehearse together Sept. 17.

“It’s really touching that I will be welcoming with the prelude the Pope to the States. After living in Rome for so many years, it’s really very emotional in many way bringing together my past, present and future. For me as a Catholic he is an inspiration in our daily life on how relate to others and try to make the world a better place for all.” he said. “I’m sharing all my passion and knowledge with the players so to work together making everything sound as beautiful as the importance of the event and Pope Francis deserves.”

Prior to the papal Mass, the orchestra will give two concerts for the clients of the interfaith community-based organization SOME (So Others Might Eat) on Saturday, Sept. 19. Concerts will take place at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and will include pieces to be performed during the canonization Mass, including Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony No. 4, first movement, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, fourth movement.

“Performing in that setting will be thought provoking for us and helpful to the persons using the facility,” Tartaglione said. “I thought it was a nice gesture to bring what we are doing for the most important person in the Catholic religion to people who may not be the first priority in society.”

> Watch rehearsal video

The Sept. 23 Mass will include performances by the CUA Symphony Orchestra as well as five local choirs, including the Catholic University Chamber Choir. The orchestra will perform under the direction of Simeone Tartaglione, the orchestra’s music director. The Chamber Choir will be conducted by Leo Nestor, Justine Bayard Ward Professor and director of choral studies and CUA’s Institute of Sacred Music.

Additionally, several alumni and faculty members have composed original works for the visit, including Nestor. Nestor’s compositions for the Mass include the introit, the communion antiphon, and an original work that will be performed during the communion rite.

Thomas Stehle, director of music ministries for the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, is head of planning of music for the papal visit. In total, he said there will be 240 singers performing during the canonization Mass. The other choirs to perform include the Choir of the Basilica, a gospel choir, an intercultural choir, an auditioned archdiocesan choir. The Washington Symphonic Brass will also perform.

Prior to Mass, there will be 75 minutes of prelude music in which each choir as well as the CUA Orchestra will perform individually and together.

Stehle said the music chosen for the Mass will represent the life of Junípero Serra, the legacy of St. Francis of Assisi, and the diversity of cultures represented in Washington and throughout the United States. Though the principal language of the Mass is Spanish, many other languages and cultures will also be represented, including French, English, Latin, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Xhosa (the language sometimes called Afrikaans).

Grayson Wagstaff, dean of the School of Music and director of the Latin American Music Center, noted the importance of CUA students performing music by Manuel de Zumaya, whom he called “one of the greatest composers of Colonial Mexico.”

“This beautiful Spanish texted music for the Catholic office liturgy of Matins is the kind of music that Serra would have heard when he travelled to Mexico City and then may have brought with him to California while founding missions,” Wagstaff said. “Few other universities in the United States regularly perform works of this kind.”

“The idea is that people experiencing this Mass, no matter where they’re from, can be both connected to the Universal church and recognize that the voice and culture they bring is also represented here,” said Stehle. “Something about hearing from different cultures reminds us that we’re not one thing. Even though we are united in Christ, we have many faces, many hues, many languages, and many musical expressions that make up this one body.”

Carlos Hernandez works on the altar that will be used by Pope Francis as he celebrates Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in September.

More than two dozen reporters swarmed Carriage Hill Cabinets in Frederick, Md., Aug. 17 to get a glimpse of the altar furniture that will be used by Pope Francis in Washington, D.C., in September. The furniture was designed as part of a competition among CUA students in April. The winning designers — recent architecture graduates (pictured above, from left) Ariadne Cerritelli, Matthew Hoffman, and Joseph Taylor — patiently participated in four hours of interviews Monday afternoon while also trying to take quick breaks to talk to the builders and see their designs coming to life.

The furniture is being built by Deacon Dave Cahoon, a carpenter and ordained deacon for the Archdiocese of Washington, with assistance from Doug Fauth at Carriage Hill Cabinets. Assisting Deacon Dave — both in building the furniture and in the media event Monday — were other local craftsmen including Lawrence Wroten, who carved the papal seal onto what will become the back of the Pope’s chair, and Karen Kouneski, who is working on the mosaic that will be installed in the center arch of the altar. Deacon Dave’s employee Carlos Hernandez continued working on the altar through much of the media event.

Cerritelli and Hoffman are continuing with master’s degree studies at CUA this fall. Taylor is working for an architecture firm in Annapolis, Md.

To view stories resulting from this media event, visit In the Media.

The campaign encourages D.C.-area residents to take a pledge to follow the example of Pope Francis by serving in their community however they can. Participants can then share their pledge on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms by using the hashtag #WalkwithFrancis. Those who pledge are also invited to “call out” others on social media to take the pledge.

The pledges will be gathered via social media and on WalkWithFrancis.org. Thousands of the pledges will be compiled into a book that Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington and chancellor of Catholic University, will present as a gift to the Holy Father during his visit.

For more information on the archdiocese’s campaign or to make a pledge, go to WalkwithFrancis.org.

Want to share how you #WalkwithFrancis? Send us a photo via email or tag your submissions #WalkwithFrancis on Twitter or Instagram. If you are a member of the CUA community, please also send a few short sentences describing the type of service you do (for the Church, in the neighborhood, anywhere) and what #WalkwithFrancis means to you. We will feature some submissions on CUA’s website and social media.

See what other CUA students, alumni, faculty, and staff are doing to walk with Francis by serving their community.

Rising Sophomore Alycia Monaco of Washington, N.J., who recently returned from a three-week First-Year Experience program abroad in Rome, said she was lucky enough to see Pope Francis in person several times. She attended a papal audience in which he spoke about the value of strong Catholic relationships and later went to a papal Mass on the Feast of Corpus Christi at St. John Lateran Church. After the Mass, she and her friends went outside in time to see the Pope ride by in his motorcade.

“The coolest part about seeing him was seeing how much he enjoyed the people,” said Monaco. “When I saw Pope Francis during the audience, he appeared in his car, uncovered, smiling, waving, and kissing any nearby babies.

“After the Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi ended, I saw the Pope once again, but this time he was in his motorcade, with the windows rolled down flashing a smile and sharing many waves with the people congregated on the street. He seems to love interacting with the people.”

Alumnus Ajani Gibson (far left) exchanges zuchettos with Pope Francis during a 2013 audience in Rome. (CNS Photo)

Ajani Gibson, from New Orleans, La., graduated in May with a degree in theology. He remembers having an up-close-and-personal meeting with Pope Francis during his semester studying abroad in Rome in fall 2013.

Gibson and some friends from the University decided to attend a papal audience in November. Because they arrived early, they were in the first row of one of the sections closest to where the Pope would speak. A member of their group brought a box of zucchettos with the hope that Pope Francis would bless one.

During the audience, Gibson held up the zucchetto as the Pope rode past his group two times. On his third time around, the Pope grabbed the zucchetto from Gibson’s hand and placed it on his head. He took off the zucchetto he had previously been wearing and gave it to Gibson.

“All I could do was give him a thumbs-up. I was in tears at that point,” Gibson said. “I didn’t expect him to give me the zucchetto he had on. It was an incredible experience and I was blown away because I had just switched zucchettos with Pope Francis.”

Though he doesn’t have the zucchetto — the woman who brought the box of zucchettos took it back to her parish in Florida — Gibson treasures the memory of his personal exchange with Pope Francis.

“It makes it really personal because I had an encounter with him, even though it was so fast,” he said. “You get to really see that this is a man who is making a difference. Even though he’s this big international headliner, there is a person there who seeks to encounter other people.”

Today, Gibson works as the assistant to the director of liturgy at the Basilica. This fall, he will begin pursuing a master’s in liturgical study at CUA. He says he is excited and proud that Pope Francis is coming to the University.

“It’s an incredible experience for CUA to have Pope Francis come and say Mass on campus,” he said. “What other university can say that we had three popes come? That’s an amazing experience!”

Junior Joe Cihak shakes hands with Pope Francis before serving as his altar service during a Mass in Rome this Spring.

Joe Cihak, a rising junior accounting major from Corvallis, Ore., experienced a similar thrill when he met Pope Francis on Good Friday this past spring. Cihak, who was studying in Rome for the semester, was given the opportunity to be an altar server during a papal Mass, thanks to his uncle, Monsignor John Cihak, who is a Vatican official.

Before Mass, Cihak and the other altar servers helped to prepare the altar. Five minutes before the Mass was to begin, the group gathered in the Pope’s personal sacristy, where he greeted each one and shook hands.

“I got to speak to him briefly,” Cihak said. “I did not say anything to him in English because that’s not his first language. I simply said, ‘Good evening, Holiness,’ in Italian and he replied, ‘Good evening.’”

Cihak said a funny moment happened when one of the deacons in the room brought a chalice to be blessed in anticipation of his priestly ordination. While greeting the group, Pope Francis looked at it and asked jokingly, ‘Is it a gift for me?’ before giving the man a hug.

“Pope Francis is a very humble and loving pope, so it was amazing to be able to see him interact with each of the servers very professionally and very nicely,” Cihak said. “Even when there’s not a lot of media around, he still does small things like that. He’s not just putting on a huge show all the time. He really is a very loving person.”

After spending five months in Rome, Cihak said he was thrilled to hear that he would be in the presence of Pope Francis again in September.

“I can’t wait to see what the energy will be like,” he said. “I feel like Pope Francis speaks a lot to younger students and that there will be a lot of excitement going around.”

Cihak believes students can learn a lot from Pope Francis, including how to make the most of their own personalities and gifts for the service of God.

“It’s important to remember that this is a man who is doing all these great things and inspiring all these people and he didn’t ask to do this, but he’s doing good with what is given to him,” Cihak said. “People need to follow his example and understand that who they are is enough. Just be yourself and make do with what God has given you and you can accomplish great things like Pope Francis does.”