I just finished watching on TV the Pope’s arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, and I have to say that I am very excited about the week to come! All of the seminarians and faculty of St. Joseph’s Seminary will be attending vespers with Pope Francis at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Thursday evening and mass with him at Madison Square Garden on Friday evening.

Having been blessed to watch his pontificate from the very beginning in Rome, I am all the more grateful to be able to see him here on the other side of the Atlantic. This is his first visit to the USA, and I think that it will be a very important one for the entire nation, and also for him.

His visit is important for us, because we desperately need to hear his message of mercy and hope. But it’s also important because it’s not always easy for us Americans to understand where he is coming from on certain issues, such as capitalism and immigration. It will be helpful to listen to his perspective in our own language (4 of his 18 speeches will be in English) and to see him in our own context.

I do think that it will be also very helpful for him to see first-hand the reality of America and the American Church. As a worldwide leader, one of his biggest challenges is communicating in a way that makes sense to everyone, so it is very good that he has this opportunity spend almost an entire week with this important part of the universal Church.

I look forward to sharing with you a front-line perspective of the Pope’s visit to New York City on Thursday and Friday, so stay tuned!

For the Pope’s full schedule in America, click here.