Pope Francis' New York Mass to host Pre-Mass show full of celebrities

By Kenya Sinclair (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
9/16/2015 (3 years ago)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)

The Archdiocese of New York announced Pope Francis' Madison Square Garden Mass would be preceded by a two-hour show that includes prayer and devotional music performed by celebrities such as Gloria Estefan and Jennifer Hudson.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (Catholic Online) - Attendees should arrive at 2 p.m. despite the Mass beginning at 6:30 p.m. to meet security requirements. While people wait for the mass to begin, the archdiocese said they could attend confession and purchase "papal merchandise, religious and catechetical material."

The celebrity pre-mass was announced on Monday and called "A Journey in Faith." It will begin at 3 p.m. Several performances will entertain, including Grammy-nominated gospel choir The Broadway Inspirational Voices.

St. Charles Borromeo Choir is also expected to sing and performers such as Kelli O'Hara, Martin Sheen, James (D Train) Williams, Norm Lewis and Harry Connick Jr. will appear as well.

A recitation of the rosary and the sacrament of reconciliation will be included in the performance. Tickets to the mass were available through a lottery, where 80,000 tickets were distributed. Some tickets have appeared on eBay and Craigslist, where they have been listed for several hundreds of dollars.

Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, archbishop of New York, condemned the ticket scalping, saying, "Tickets for events with Pope Francis are distributed free for a reason -to enable as many New Yorkers as possible, including those of modest means, to be able to participate in the Holy Father's visit to New York ... To attempt to resell the tickets and profit from his time in New York goes against everything Pope Francis stands for."

The mayor's office announced the United States Secret Service was working with them to stop the online sales, with a spokeswoman saying, "Craigslist and eBay have been responsive and continue to remove posts quickly."

New York senator Chuck Schumer asked people who were selling their tickets to "look deep into your heart."

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