Papal Masses at baseball stadiums not new to U.S. Catholics

Published: 2008-04-17

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Masses celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in Washington and New York are be the seventh and eighth papal Masses to be celebrated inside U.S. baseball stadiums. Pope Benedict's April 17 Mass was at Nationals Park in Washington, the brand-new stadium for the National League's Washington Nationals. His April 20 Mass will be in New York's Bronx borough at Yankee Stadium, the 84-year-old ballpark that will be replaced next year by a new stadium rising in its shadow. Other venues for papal Masses have been football stadiums, horse-racing tracks, hockey and basketball arenas, open-air fields and even the National Mall. Pope Paul VI celebrated the first Mass at a U.S. ballpark: Yankee Stadium, Oct. 4, 1965. It was also the only baseball-park Mass of his pontificate. Pope John Paul II celebrated five Masses at baseball stadiums over the course of three different U.S. visits. While in New York City in 1979, he celebrated one Mass Oct. 2 at Yankee Stadium, and another Mass Oct. 3 at Shea Stadium. In 1987, he celebrated Mass Sept. 16 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and Sept. 18 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. In 1995, he celebrated Mass at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

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