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Fort Scottians travel to see Pope Francis
Fort Scottians JoAnn Thomas and her grandson, Lucas Snyder got to see Pope Francis on Sept. 22 through the generosity of Jennifer Jackman. Jackman is a Gold Star mother, one who has lost a child while serving in the military. She was given tickets to attend the welcoming ceremony on the White House South Lawn but was unable to attend.
"My husband called and said Jennifer is offering tickets, I said yes immediately," Thomas said. "It's such an honor to see someone like (the pope) and be at the White House at the same time."
Her grandson, Lucas, was the first of her six grandchildren that asked to go, Thomas said. He is a fourth-grader at St. Mary's Catholic School.
"I really wanted to see the pope," Snyder said. "We study the pope a lot."
"It was a very touching ceremony, an unbelievable experience," Thomas said. "We really thank Jennifer for the tickets."
The pope arrived in Washington D.C., his first stop before he traveled on to New York and Philadelphia, according to popefrancisvisit.com. At the White House he was greeted by President Barack Obama and family as well as numerous religious and military officials.
Thomas and Snyder waited to enter the south lawn of the White House with the mass of people.
"There were people everywhere," Thomas said. "We got there at 4:30 a.m. to get into the White House (ceremony). The program started at 9 a.m. It was packed. You couldn't move once you found a place."
Thomas saw Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Ethel Kennedy at the ceremony.
Snyder got close enough to the vehicle for the pope to reach out and touch him.
"He was like hanging out of the car," Snyder said. "The agents were putting the hands down, but they were on the other side (of the vehicle). I got lucky."
For Thomas the best part of the trip was seeing the pope and hearing him speak.
"I think he has done an amazing job for the church," she said. "Each pope is unique. I've been fortunate that I've seen three popes now. This man is a very likeable person."
One of the challenges was being among the large group of people gathered for the welcoming ceremony. The two became separated.
"I got lost a couple of times, trying to find grandma," Snyder said.
His mother, Natalie Snyder, had purchased a cell phone for her son prior to the trip to be able to keep in contact with his grandma, so they were able to find each other, he said.
Prior to the ceremony the White House staff handed out flags to everybody who came. Water bottles and energy bars were also passed out by the staff at the ceremony, and a program each person was given a program.
The ceremony involved playing the national anthem of the Holy See and the national anthem of the U.S. A military band played "Ruffles and Flourishes" and "Hail to the Chief," followed by the greeting from President Obama. Officials were introduced and the president and the pope gave remarks.
At the conclusion of the ceremony the crowd was asked to remain in place on the South Lawn until the dignitaries and honor guard departed.
Following the ceremony, the two purchased mementos of the trip at the White House Gift Shop: a bobble-head pope, a flag and some coins.
Upon their return to Fort Scott, Snyder gave a report of the event to fellow students at St. Mary's. Snyder said he felt special.
Meeting on families
Pope Francis visited the U.S. for the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.
"Pope Francis' emphasis is family," Thomas said. "He had mentioned that many times. We need to work on strenghtening families."
The World Meeting of Families was conceived by Pope Saint John Paul II, and the first meeting took place in Rome in 1994, the International Year of the Family. Since then, the World Meeting of Families has taken place every three years in various locations around the world. This is the first year it was held in the United States.
Past papal visits to White House
Historically, Pope Francis' predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II, also visited Washington D.C. In October 1979, at the end of his visit to the U.S., Pope John Paul II became the first pope to visit the White House, meeting with President Jimmy Carter. In April 2008, Pope Benedict XVI arrived in the U.S. where he was met by President Bush and military family members, according to popefrancisvisit.com.