Kathryn Lopez
Mary Elise Zellmer is one of the New York Catholics who has been anticipating Pope Francis’s visit to the United States. She will be watching Pope Francis tonight in overcrowded Church basement on livestream pray with priests and consecrated men and women and other Catholics at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Thursday night. She talks about the joyful expectation. (I know Mary Elise through longtime collaboration with the Archdiocese of New York and a group I helped establish in the U.S., Catholic Voices USA, part of an international movement.)
Q: Are you looking forward to the Pope in the U.S? Why?
A: Yes of course! I’m proud to be Catholic, and seeing the Holy Father makes me feel closer to not only the other one billion Catholics in the world, but also our rich history and heritage. I’m actually still reeling a bit that he is coming here, because I actually bought a ticket to go see him in Poland next summer, before hearing that he’s coming here to my city. He’s going to the UN which is just a few blocks from my apartment, so he is quite literally coming to my neighborhood. It’s so exciting to know that not only did I want to see the Holy Father, but he wanted to come here to see my community and me!
Q: What is it about Pope Francis that seems to get people excited? Nervous, too!
A: He transcends boundaries. He’s calling the world as a whole to do what’s right, not comfortable. He is able to reach people in a way that requires them to reflect on their lives, thoughts, behaviors, and calls them to be better, deeper, more sacrificial and that is extremely inspiring, but is not easy.
Q: Why is the World Meeting of Families aspect of it so important to you?
A: Family is where all people first learn about the world, their role in it, and their responsibilities towards others. As Pope Francis has said, the family is the school of love and also the school of forgiveness! Because of this vital role of the family, this meeting is important for all of us! I’m so grateful our pope and bishops are taking the time to focus on how to strengthen families and how to reach out to families that are struggling and hurting.
Q: If you had five minutes with the pope, what would you want him to know about Catholics in New York?
A: New York is an amazing place to be a young Catholic and I would want him to know that! We have so many opportunities for the Sacraments, to serve the poor and forgotten, and to grow in faith and community with other Catholics. We have the benefits of having so many different cultures and people coming together as one Catholic family. I’ve always known that there are one billion Catholics in the world, but it was hard to imagine how so many different personalities and cultures can live that faith- then I moved to New York.
I would also want him to know that as vibrant and exciting of a city as New York is, it can also be the most populated lonely place in the world. Completely unpredictable and transient, only in New York can you be surrounded by people day in and day out without speaking to another person, and then- in tragedy or time of need- be backed up by some of the toughest, but most genuine people in the world. Being a part of the Catholic Church here has given me a solid community and helped to challenge and support me in incredible ways.
Q: What would you like people who are not Catholic or have left the Church to have the chance to learn this week?
A: I’d want them to know that Catholics are passionate and that’s how we live our faith. We’re a community one billion strong and have been living our faith for over 2,000 years. We’re the same people as the first martyrs, the great philosophers (like Aquinas), the founders of the university system, the poor whom Jesus loved especially, the largest charitable organization in the world, and the millions of people you’re going to see gathering here in New York and in Philadelphia to welcome Pope Francis. We offer a lot more than people might be accustomed to hearing, and Pope Francis is a great voice for us!
Q: Do you plan to see him?
A: I’m still waiting to see! I’m in a raffle right now for the Mass at Madison Square Garden, so I’m hoping to get tickets for that. Otherwise, you can be sure that I’ll be glued to my TV live streaming his visit, and I’ll get to see him next summer in Poland.
Q: What’s your prayer for him?
A: I’m praying for his safety, of course, but I also pray that he has a beautiful encounter with the American people. When he held his video-conference at the beginning of the month to “meet” Americans in anticipation of his visit, I was so touched by his interactions- especially when he asked the girl who is bullied to sing for him. I’m sure we’ve all heard these great stories about encounters he’s had with people around the world (like when he embraced the man suffering from neurofibromatosis, or when he snuck out of the Vatican to feed the homeless).
Q: Why are you Catholic?
A: I am Catholic because I am convinced that what the Church teaches is truth. I’m sure there are plenty of good ways I could spend my time besides going to Mass, but I am drawn back week after week, day after day. The passion and depth of the Mass brings me closer to God and I am grateful for the rich inheritance of our faith- for example, the saints who have come before from all sorts of countries, backgrounds, and challenges and how their lives have been impacted by their faith.
Q: The theme of his visit it Love Is Our Mission. What does that mean to you?
A: Pope Francis gets right to the heart of matters, doesn’t he? He has a way of bypassing divisions to hit what matters most, which, of course, is love. Jesus himself commanded his disciples to “love one another as I have loved you” so it’s only fitting Pope Francis would listen to his boss and make that a priority.
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