'Important to pray and talk and along with the Pope'

Chancery staff comes together to watch Pope’s address to Congress on TV

CLIFTON  Filled with excitement, the Chancery staff gathered as a family of faith on Sept. 24 to watch Pope Francis to deliver a historic and heartfelt address before the U.S. Congress that challenged Americans to work together to promote social justice and environmental sustainability — the first ever given by a pontiff on Capitol Hill.

The Chancery staff viewed the speech in cafeteria of the St. John Paul II Pastoral Center here, on a large projection screen through online video streaming. The tech-savvy Father Edward Lambro, director of development and public relations for diocesan Catholic Charities, came up with the idea and set up the feed with the help of Thomas Barrett, diocesan coordinator for special projects and services.

“I’m a fan of Pope Francis. As someone who works for Catholic Charities, I liked that he talked about inequality, immigration, opportunity, safety and worshipping in peace. It’s like the message of Pope Paul VI: ‘If you want peace, work for justice,’ ” said Father Lambro, who proposed the idea of the video feed to Msgr. James Mahoney, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia and pastor of Corpus Christi Parish, Chatham Township, who enthusiastically approved.

In his speech beamed around the world, Pope Francis urged Congress and all Americans to engage in meaningful dialogue and work together to use all of their resources to help solve the country’s — and the world’s — pressing problems. He said that they include poverty, injustice, environmental devastation, sex trafficking, the Syrian refugee crisis, the death penalty and immigration. The pope gave the people of the U.S. great encouragement by citing the examples of four fellow Americans, who accomplished a great deal in advancing social justice in their lifetimes — two of them Catholic: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton.

“You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics. A political society endures when it seeks, as a vocation, to satisfy common needs by stimulating the growth of all its members, especially those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk,” Pope Francis said.

Among those staff watching Pope Francis that morning was Connie Mikolajczyk, an administrative assistant for the diocesan School Division, who expressed amazement that he “didn’t just read a prepared speech — he felt it.”

“The Pope spoke from the heart — and Congress appreciated it by all their interruptions of applause,” Mikolajczyk said. “He delivered a powerful message about injustice and refugees, but he didn’t preach or scold. He pointed out the best of what America is all about but also challenged us to do one better. It was masterfully done,” she said.

After the pope’s address, the diocese posted the text on its web site, www.redop.org, under the heading Papal Events, said Barrett, who also watched the speech.

“Pope Francis’ address was a great moment. It was moving, powerful and inspiring. It was beautiful,” Barrett said.

Co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement in New York City, Dorothy Day had passion for social justice, inspired by the Gospel, her faith and the saints — and yet, more still needs to be done, especially in helping people “trapped in a cycle of poverty,” the pontiff said.

“It goes without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution of wealth. The right use of natural resources, the proper application of technology and the harnessing of the spirit of enterprise are essential elements of an economy, which seeks to be modern, inclusive and sustainable,” he said.

Lastly, Pope Francis spoke about Thomas Merton, a Cistercian monk, who was known as a man of prayer, “a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the Church and a “man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions.”

Watching Pope Francis’ address on TV enabled diocesan staff to come together as “the Chancery family,” Father Lambro said.

“At the Chancery, we are supposed to be an example to the people we serve: the parishes. We are a parish family, here to make the parishes more successful,” Father Lambro said. “It’s important for us get together to pray and talk and along with the Pope — that’s the Church. It was a great moment for us,” he said.