Even hidden areas at 'cathedral of baseball' transformed for Mass

Published: 2008-04-21

NEW YORK (CNS) -- The "house that Ruth built" is known to the fans as the "cathedral of baseball." But Yankee Stadium really did look like a cathedral for the Mass with Pope Benedict XVI April 20, with most of the advertising and references to its primary purpose tastefully obscured with white, black, blue, purple and gold fabric and bunting. Few would deny that the altar and alfresco sanctuary areas were as splendid as those in more permanent church structures. But the transformation from American League ballpark to world-class worship space was perhaps at its most startlingly complete underneath the stadium. The umpires' room, generally noteworthy only for its stark functionality, was turned into a lounge and vesting area for the pontiff. Daryl Latter of Full Production Services in Los Angeles orchestrated the makeover. She covered the concrete block walls with draped lengths of alternating gold, white and subtly patterned fabric, and carpeted the floor with a beige rug. "I wanted something that was appropriate, but not overstated," she said in an interview with Catholic News Service after the Mass.

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