The Vista
Notre Dame Academy * 3535 W. Sylvania Ave. * Toledo, OH 43623* Vol. 66 Issue 1* Oct. 12, 2015
Pope Brings Blessings, Prayers from Rome Caroline Crescenzo
Pope Francis has finally made his trip to The United States for the Festival of Families in Philadelphia from Sept. 22-27. Millions of Americans, including theology teacher Mrs. Kelly Reed, traveled from all around the country for the opportunity to hear him speak and say Mass. He started his visit by being greeted by President Obama and his family in Washington D.C., then he spoke to Congress addressing many of America’s pressing issues including immigration, abortion and other social justice issues. He also made it a point to eat lunch with the poor. He then made his way to New York City, where he spoke to the United Nations and said Mass at Madison Square Garden. He spent the rest of his trip celebrating at the festival, where he held a prayer vigil in honor of families and for all the social justice issues in the world today. Thousands of people flooded the streets. Hotels all around Philadelphia were completely booked out months in advance. The city was practically shut down for the week to make accommodations for his arrival. The U.S. took extreme measures to ensure his safety during his stay because of rumors of people potentially planning to at-
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Students show love for Pope Francis. Photo by Caroline Crescenzo.
tack him. He was under constant watch, and there was a very strong police presence all over the city. His purpose for coming to the festival was to celebrate families and encourage young people to stay the course of being committed and faithful to their partners and themselves. Mrs. Reed said it was such a surreal experience to be among so many believers from all over the world. “I think people like this pope more because of the way he has gone out of his way to include everyone in his preaching. He doesn’t seem to just target devout Christians, but everyone, in his message to spread good in this world,” senior Molly Miller said. In This Issue: Students Help in Nicaragua Page 8
Most of the students and faculty agree that he has been a positive change in the Church, and are hoping he will attract more people to the Catholic Church. “Even as a non-Catholic, it is so refreshing to have someone like him these days. He is so accepting of all religions and backgrounds. In my theology classes at NDA, I have seen the way his influence has affected discussion in class. I’m very happy about this,” senior Julia Harb said. Overall, the public has received the pope very positively. With the continued support of people worldwide, he will be able to further impact today’s society.
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