The Deacon's Bench
Independence Hall in Philadelphia by Rdsmith4 via Wikipedia
From Associated Press:
To be fair, Natalie Suresch and Joe Felicetti claimed that weekend first.
The Philadelphia couple chose Sept. 26 for their wedding and then planned accordingly: They booked their venue, a former factory building in one of the city’s most historic neighborhoods. They hired a DJ. Suresch purchased her dress.
Then Pope Francis announced he was coming to town — the same day.
“We can’t compete with the pope,” said Suresch.
The couple’s story is a cautionary tale for anyone planning to do something in Philadelphia during the last weekend of September, when the pontiff expects to make his first visit to the United States. Organizers predict 1.5 million people will visit the city to see Francis as part of the World Meeting of Families.
Suresch and Felicetti found out about the conflict when his sister called to say she was hoping to see her little brother married and the Holy Father in one shot.
At first, the couple was concerned but not frantic. They began checking for possible hotel blocks for their guests. They found nothing within 10 miles. Or 50 miles.
“I had a moment of pure panic, about 20 minutes of hysterical crying when I was yelling at Joe for no apparent reason,” said Suresch, 35, gallery manager for French furniture company Roche Bobois. “He was like a deer in headlights.”
Said Felicetti, 41, an architect, “I called the venue woman at 9 o’clock on a Sunday night to see if we could change the date so she would stop crying.” They now plan to marry Oct. 9.
Tourism and hospitality officials said the impact of Francis’ appearance is unlike anything they’ve experienced in recent memory.
“His visit changes the whole paradigm,” said Jack Ferguson, chief executive of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau.
UPDATE: Catholic News Agency has published proposed details of the pope’s itinerary. Check this out.
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