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.

Many hands go up. “Nice!” says Brazinski. “No homework on Wednesday, other than to see the Pope.”

Brazinski is taking advantage of this class on the Monday morning before the papal visit to lecture on the Holy Father’s life and his teachings.

Outside his Caldwell Hall classroom is the Campus Ministry garden featuring a small statue of St. Francis of Assisi. Referring to that, Brazinski asks his students why Pope Francis took on the name of this saint when he began his papacy.

“St. Francis is the patron of animals and the environment and he dedicated himself to the poor,” says one student.

“Bingo!” responds Brazinski as he reminds students of the often-told story of the dramatic moment so many centuries ago when St. Francis renounced his inheritance and dedicated his life to the poor and the environment. “When Pope Francis chose his name that gave us the first idea that these would be the themes of his papacy,” he says.

Brazinski tells the students what it was like on campus on March 13, 2013, when it was announced that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected to be the 266th pope.

“Students chanted ‘Habemus Papam!’ and I can still remember the bells ringing across campus.”

The lecture focuses on Pope Francis’s early life as a boy, as a chemical technician (who also had a job as a nightclub bouncer), as a scholar, and as a young priest. Brazinski’s PowerPoint details important milestones in the Popes’s life. And the class ends with a lively discussion of Laudato Si’, the Pope’s encyclical on the environment. The students have read selected excerpts from the encyclical in which Pope Francis appeals to ‘‘every person living on this planet” to play a role in “caring for our common home.”

Pope Francis’s visit to Catholic University has provided a unique teaching moment for faculty and staff. In addition to the pope’s teachings being worked into curriculum in anticipation of the Holy Father’s visit, Catholic University’s Office of Campus Ministry initiated a series of events with the theme “Walking with Francis: Joy of the Gospel.”

CUA students, alumni, faculty, and staff have taken the pledge to walk in solidarity with the Holy Father through prayer, learning, and service. More than 500 members of the CUA community took part in the Serve with Francis Day on Sept. 13.There were special Masses in Spanish to help students learn the assembly responses for a Spanish Mass. Learning events included a screening of the Salt + Light documentary “The Francis Effect,” a pope trivia night, a panel discussion titled “Follow Francis’s Footsteps: The Pope’s Guide to Modern Life,” and a lecture on “Junipero Serra: An Apostle of California.

“I am so excited for the Mass. It will bring happiness to so many souls,” says Rory Martinez, a student in Brazinski’s course. “Spanish is my first language. My grandmother is from Mexico and she always told me about seeing Pope John Paul II. I got my faith from her. Celebrating the Mass in Spanish will feel like home. And after today’s class I will be going into the Mass with great knowledge,” says the theology major from New Mexico.

“Pope Francis’s visit to our campus provides a great opportunity for our students and community,” says Brazinski. “In the months leading to his adventus, he has inspired us to serve, pray, and learn. From our numerous service days to our Fitness for Francis at the Kane Fitness Center, CUA has been awaiting the Holy Father and has enhanced its programming to honor his mission. His visit has truly provided a unique and invigorating opportunity for our University.”

“The visit of Pope Francis will be one of the most memorable events in the lives of Catholic University students, who hopefully will remember not only the event, but also the Pope’s message: his invitation to ‘walk’ as a person of faith throughout the rest of their lives,” says Rev. John T. Ford, professor of theology and religious studies, who delivered the lecture on Blessed Junípero Serra. The soon-to-be saint will be canonized by Pope Francis during the papal Mass.

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

Since its foundation in 1887, CUA has been honored with the visits of many presidents and is the only university in America that has been blessed with, soon-to-be, three papal visits. If you want to read more about all these visits, read The Archivist’s Nook: A Brief Meditation on Presidents, Popes, and Power on the Eve of Pope Francis’ Visit.

Cardinal Donald Wuerl addresses the media at a news conference on the University Mall.

This morning, dozens of reporters assembled on the University Mall for an inside look at the preparations that are underway for the Sept. 23 Mass on the East Portico of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception during which Pope Francis will canonize American missionary Blessed Junípero Serra.

The reporters stood in the very spot where 25,000 people will gather in six days for the Mass. Before the press conference began, reporters got to witness staff members from the Office of Facilities Maintenance and Operations remove a light pole that stood in the way of the view of the East Portico of the Shrine.

Catholic University President John Garvey; Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington and University chancellor; and Monsignor Walter Rossi, rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, took a brief tour of the work underway on the Shrine, including a close-up inspection of the roof and stage that will be the visual centerpiece of next week’s Mass.

During the press conference, President Garvey, Monsignor Rossi, and Cardinal Wuerl all noted the work three CUA architecture students did to design the altar furniture that will be used during the Mass.

With Cardinal Wuerl at the news conference were, from left, Chieko Noguchi, director of media and public relations for the Archdiocese of Washington; John Garvey, president of The Catholic University of America; and Monsignor Walter Rossi, rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

“We’re providing the nave for the Mass,” Garvey said. “We’re best of neighbors with the Shrine.”

Garvey noted that on Sept. 23, 500 students from CUA will serve as volunteers and that approximately 6,000 members of the University community would be in attendance.

Cardinal Wuerl said he was hopeful that the sky on Sept. 23 would look “every bit as blue” as the sky this morning.

“Can you envision a better place for this Mass?” he asked.

Wuerl also spoke a bit about the “Francis effect” during the press conference.

“He [Pope Francis] has a way of touching people,” Wuerl said. “We are finding that so many young people especially are touched by Pope Francis.”

Although Wuerl said his office has received requests from approximately 10 times more people than there are spots available at the Mass, he thanked the media present for their role in bringing the Mass to those who will not be able to attend in person.

“Because of the ability you have to reach people all over the world, there will be millions of people assisting in this Mass.”

> Watch press conference video

Members of the media form a semicircle around Cardinal Wuerl on the University Mall.

Tall perimeter fencing in front of Pangborn Hall creates a barrier between what will be secure and non-secure areas of campus on Sept. 23.

The campus of The Catholic University of America has become an active construction site in preparation for the papal Mass on Sept. 23. On Wednesday, workers employed by Showcall Inc., an events production company, assembled a 10-level riser between Shahan and McGivney halls that will accommodate more than 350 members of the media. Work continued on the stage and roof  being built on the east steps of the Basilica. Students and faculty navigated around tall perimeter fencing and interior “bike rack” barriers on their way to and from classes while forklifts carrying construction materials zipped around the work sites.

Over the next six days, workers will also install a riser for the choir and large LED video walls near the stage. The University Mall will be divided into sections for seated and standing ticket holders. A vending area for food and religious goods will be set up on St. Thomas Hill.

Some workers build the media riser on the University Mall near Shahan and McGivney halls while others works on the altar and roof on the east steps of the Basilica.

Workers prepare to raise the roof structure for the papal altar.

The roof structure for the papal altar was assembled on Monday by workers employed by Showcall Inc., an events production company that will build key structures for the Mass on Sept. 23. At their Tuesday morning meeting outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the crew chief explained to workers how they would slowly and carefully raise the roof assembly to the correct height. In a sign of respect for the location and purpose of their work, one of his instructions to the crew was “No swearing.”

The equipment that arrived in the lot and on the east side of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception this morning provides some of the most visible signs to date of the impending changes coming to the campus.

Over the next nine days, Showcall Inc., an events production company with which Catholic University has partnered, will be on campus to build key structures for the canonization Mass of American missionary Blessed Junípero Serra. A stage and roof will be built on the east steps of the Basilica. A stage for the choir will be built nearby. A riser that will hold more than 350 members of the media will be erected near Pryzbyla Plaza between Shahan and McGivney halls. LED video walls will be installed near the stage so that the 25,000 ticketed guests will be able to see the Mass.

Showcall will set up chairs for the congregation that will assemble in the area surrounding the steps of the Basilica, including the 3.6-acre University Mall.

Stay tuned to popeindc.cua.edu for more information about preparations underway on campus.