St. Jude to celebrate Pope Francis's visit with local event Sept. 27
In conjunction with September’s visit of Pope Francis to the Delaware Valley, St. Jude The Apostle Church in Lewes will host a Francis Fest at 3:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 27. Two weeks prior, members of the Msgr. Desmond 3rd Degree Council of the Knights of Columbus will distribute holy cards for the papal visit and the canonization of Junipero Serra, a missionary who built California missions in the 18th century.
At 11:30 a.m. at the annual picnic Sunday, Sept. 20, parishioners will prepare for the event with a “visit” by the pope when a likeness of the Bishop of Rome will arrive at the parish campus in a local version of the pope mobile, and those assembled will “welcome” their Holy Father.
Parishioners and visitors will gather at 3:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 27, for a Philly-themed event in the Parish Life Center. While watching a big-screen live stream of the World Gathering of Families Mass on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, participants in Lewes will enjoy hoagies, Tastykakes, soft pretzels and Herr’s potato chips. (A large percentage of beach residents traces their roots to Philadelphia.)
The informal celebration will include a papal trivia game for adults and an opportunity for children to make a miter, the tall, pointed hat that bishops wear.
St. Jude had originally planned to bus pilgrims to the City of Brotherly Love, but event planners there cautioned that participants may have to walk two miles or more to reach Logan Circle. There is, however, a lot of excitement about the nation’s first visit of the first pope from the Americas, so the church's Pastoral Council is providing a relaxed opportunity for people to gather together to celebrate this historic event.
Pope Francis has expressed his desire for “a poor church of the poor,” so admission for the Francis Fest will be a nonperishable food item. Donations will be given to the parish conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which will distribute them to the needy in the local community.
