Diocese of Lincoln Greets Pope

Francis
Ninety-four pilgrims from the Diocese of Lincoln and surrounding area traveled twenty-five
hours by bus to Philadelphia, PA to attend the World Meeting of Families, which concluded
Sunday with Mass celebrated by Pope Francis.
Kaylee Miller, an 18-year-old from Colbertson, NE, said, I was actually the first one to get the
feeling and then told my mom, I think Im supposed to go, and if you guys dont go, then Ill
find a way myself.
And I said, good luck with that, said Brenda Miller, Kaylees mother. Financially, we just
never do that kind of stuff. Then it was maybe two months after that when I was at holy hour
and by the time holy hour was over I looked at her (Kaylee) and said, I think Im supposed to
go, too! and I told Jesus, Good luck with that. I said, you provide the way, provide the money,
show us how, and he did. Brendas husband, Travis, was also able to come on the pilgrimage
with his wife and daughter.
Belen Pea and her young daughter, Sulymar, were a few of the many Hispanic pilgrims on the
trip, giving them a laughing advantage when the Holy Father made his address outside of
Independence Hall in Spanish. Pea said, I came on the pilgrimage because I thought it would
be a beautiful experience to meet the Pope. We were a little bit hesitant to come, but God moved
us by the Holy Spirit to come and receive all the blessings that he gave us. Pea said that some
of her favorite parts of the trip were meeting people and seeing so many different Churches and
shrines.
The diocese split into two groups, with one group going to the World Meeting of Families
conference and the other group going to various shrines and historic attractions around
Philadelphia.
The World Meeting of Families Conference began with Mass each morning, followed by a
keynote speaker and several breakout sessions on topics like human sexuality, bringing prayer
into the family, and the joy of the Gospel.
Pilgrims saw the shrine of St. Maria Goretti, the shrine of St. John Neumann, and the shrine of
St. Katherine Drexel, as well as the Liberty Bell, Christ Church, and other historic sights.
For many of Lincolns pilgrims, the shrines were powerful and inspiring.
I liked the St. John Neumann shrine, said Kay Mallack of York, NE, because that is the patron
saint of my high school where I graduated from, Wahoo Neumann. Mallacks son, Reed, got to
serve at Mass at St. John Neumanns shrine, where the saints incorrupt body lies.
Seeing incorrupt saints was a different experience for mortician Becky Lauk of Lincoln, NE.
That was the coolest thing I have ever seen, said Becky, about the Shrine of St. Maria Goretti.
I just cant believe that bodies are incorrupt, from my perspective, because I see what happens
to bodies. Lauk said that Maria Goretti was the first incorrupt saint she had ever seen. I was
so overpowered by the Holy Spirit being close to her, I really was. It was a very uplifting
experience, and shes the saint of forgiveness, so I think it really helps a lot of people with
different issues that they might have in their life.
Brenda Miller and her daughter, Kaylee, agreed about the power of stepping into the shrines.
Just walking into the shrines just felt like home, said Brenda, you just . . .
Dont want to leave, Kaylee, finished.
Beth Nemec and her 12-year-old daughter, Julia, of Seward, also went on the sightseeing portion
of the pilgrimage. As far as the historical sights, Beth said, we really enjoyed seeing Ben
Franklins grave, and we also went to Christ Church and sat in George Washingtons pew which
was very large back then they had to buy their pews so we sat in his which was very large
and Betsy Rosss which was very small, and also Ben Franklins.
Outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, a grotto was made to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots.
Pilgrims were given white ribbons, which they could write prayer intentions on and then tie onto
the grotto. Sunday afternoon before Mass, the Holy Father stopped at the grotto and blessed all
of the prayer intentions there.
Another highlight was staying with host families from St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in
Warrington, Pa. Many pilgrims commented on the remarkable kindness and generosity they
received from their host families.
Lylaine Abbott of Lincoln, NE said, when I heard that we were going to stay with a host family,
I was kind of nervous about that, but our host family has been so kind.
Weve really enjoyed that part of it as much as the conference, said her husband, Bill. Each
day we come home and they ask us what we saw and what we did, and they shared so much
about their family. Bill said they wrote their prayer intention for their host family on a ribbon at
the Our Lady, Undoer of Knots grotto.
Lylaine continued: Theyve been helping us with the trains, and give us little advice and tips on
how to get from point A to point Band they really care about us; if we get lost, he is willing to
come pick us up. Lylaine said their host family stays up and talks with them every night, even
though they have work in the morning.
On Friday evening, all of the host families joined the pilgrims at St. Robert Bellarmine Parish
Hall for a dinner together.
They gave us a steak and chicken dinner, and I was expecting hot dogs and baked beans, said
Julia Nemec.
The theme of this week was, Love is Our Mission, and the host families of St. Robert
Bellarmine Parish exemplified and magnified that theme.
They really live their faith, and theyre on the mission of love and it really is a testament to the
World Meeting of Families to have a parish like that, said Bill Abbott.
Becky Lauk said, its like exactly what Christ teaches. Christ didnt want to take anything with
him and didnt want his disciples to take anything with them because they would be hosted by
other places, and thats exactly what happened to us.
Belen Pea said that, even though their host family was so different from them, they understood
and respected Belen and her daughter, who did the same in return.
Im so grateful to my host family and to God, Belen said. They are such a beautiful family,
not just physically but personally. Inside, they were so beautiful.
Besides the host families, Lincoln pilgrims enjoyed getting to know people from other states and
countries throughout the week, as well as reuniting with other Lincoln natives.
Bill and Lylaine Abbott ran into Lincoln seminarians who currently study at St. Charles
Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, one of whom is the seminarian that Bill Abbott prays for
through the Serra Club of Lincoln. They also found several Lincoln priests who were traveling
separately from the diocese.
Theres a lot of people who werent on our bus who we bumped into and got to see, Bill said.
The Papal Mass on Sunday was the highlight of the pilgrimage. Pope Francis celebrated Mass
for over a million people. To distribute Holy Communion, priests were escorted throughout the
crowds by various volunteers carrying white and yellow umbrellas.
The umbrellas were just breathtaking, Kay Mallack said. To see all those people going to
receive communion was just amazing. It was just like, gosh, how can people not believe?
Thats what I felt. I mean, how could you leave here and not know this is the right thing?
Mallack said that when she goes home, she wants to share the Holy Fathers message with the
rest of her family.
He understands that we arent perfect, and I think that was encouraging, she said. Home
should not be a place of shouting, it should be a place of joy, and so often thats where the stress
and the arguing and so much of that happens and the Pope is saying, no, it should be peaceful.
He knows that its hard.
Bill Abbott said, the World Meeting of Families has really reaffirmed our faith in the Catholic
Church - reaffirms what you know but sometimes take for granted.
Brenda Miller said, I just think its neat how things have fallen together. Just realizing that you
dont have a schedule to follow, and how things just keep falling into place; weve accomplished
more than I could ever imagine, seen more than I could ever imagine, just because things keep
falling together.
For me, a pilgrimage is a series of moments of the Holy Spirit, Bill Abbott said. You cant
really say, well, this one was the best because its just one of those things where you be open
and be ready for the next thing the Holy Spirit throws your way.