As our vacation plans were cancelled, we decided to take advantage of the big mass and celebration our diocese has once a year up in Cleveland, known as The Fest!
We first attended The Fest about five years ago when only about 700 people attended. The games were okay, the vendors were few, and other than a lot of really loud rock music there wasn’t much else to do. But the mass was an incredible experience. Clergy from all over the diocese processed up to the altar in the darkness by candelight. The memory of those many holy priests in procession is my fondest remembrance of that early Fest.
Yesterday, there were over 22,000 people on the grounds of the seminary attending The Fest. There was still loud Christian Rock Music, but this year’s headliner, Steven Curtis Chapman was extraordinary and entertaining for all ages. He gave a glimpse into how his young daughter challenged her parents by praying that they would adopt a little sister for her. Her prayers turned the hearts of her parents from an absolute no to a yes that landed the family in China to pick up the newest member of their family! The prayers of a child are powerful indeed. Mr. Chapman was a delightful speaker, and an entertaining musician.
To accommodate the crowd, it looked like the organizers had more food vendors this year and they had plenty of bathroom facilities (although there were still long lines mid afternoon.)
For kids they have a lot of inflatable stuff to play on including super slides, a juping pit, and these big bubble like things that you could walk in and get really dizzy. Gabe, Sam, Noah and Izzy had lots of fun on those.
They had an interesting assortment of other vendors selling religious items. The one with the longest line was the Cathoilc cemetery association, which was giving a way free ice cream. Someone in line joked that perhaps it wasn’t the wisest thing be taking free ice cream from the cemetery society but no one seemed to suffer any ill effects. I purchased two posters for my home. One was a beautiful poster of St. Michael the Archangel, and the other was a very young John Paul walking around in his cassock, a black jacket and sun glasses, “On a Mission from God.” That one is in my dining room hopefully fostering some vocation related thoughts in my own young men.
Unfortunately I did not get to visit some of the art tents and I don’t know if they had any speakers this year. Walking around with a one-year-old who walks took a lot of my time and attention. Rosie made LOTS of friends yesterday. She smiles and flirted readily with anyone who would let her.
Sam and I did manage to make it to confession. Throughout the afternoon priests were sitting in the grove under trees listening to confessions. They had very few idle moments. Adoration was also available in the chapel.
As dusk approached, it was time for holy mass. This year they did something that I just thought was extremely cool – they had the Knights of Columbus, in their full regalia with swords drawn, process in first and then line the main aisle as the many clergy from throughout the diocese processed in and the crowd sang Come Holy Ghost/ We are a Pilgrim People. (My son Sam was so moved by the presence of the Knights, that he asked to have my late uncle’s K of C sword to hang over his bed. We are going to let him.) I have to admit that that processional always moves me to tears. It was just so majestic, elegant and wonderful to see how many holy men in our diocese are living a priestly life in service to all of us.
And then all 22,000 of us prayed the mass as lead by none other than Bishop Pilla,who recently retired after 25 y ears of service as our bishop. I was never fond of Bishop Pilla as a teacher, but last night I felt like I did feel a very special affinity for him as he was there with his people leading us, almost in a grandfatherly way.
If you ever have the chance to attend mass in a large crowd, it is just an awesome experience. It really puts the word “catholic” into perspective. These people were from different towns, counties, maybe even different states, and yet we were all familiar with the liturgy, and were one in our prayers. It is just thrilling to be part of something that big.
Towards the end of mass we all had holy communion, which amazingly goes off without a hitch despite all the people and the darkness. Then the workers handed out glow sticks that the crowd waves during the last hymn. Those same priests that processed with such reverence before, process out into the crowd with their own glow sticks into a real celebration complete with fireworks.
Is it a little hokey? Yea. But it’s something that brings famiies including children together and if it touches the hearts of the children so tht they love and appreciate their catholic faith (and maybe even discern a vocation) then I don’t have a problem with it.
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