Jeanette Der Bedrosian, The Examiner
2008-04-12 11:05:04.0
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Washington, D.C. -

Pope Benedict XVI will arrive in Washington, D.C., in three days for the first papal visit to the area in 28 years, and local Catholic educators and students are gearing up for a papal agenda that will focus in part on education.

The pope will visit Catholic University on Thursday, when he will to deliver an address to presidents of Catholic colleges and universities and representatives from each diocese.

Students at the only papally chartered university in the United States will be able to watch a live broadcast of the pope's speech on a large screen outdoors and witness the pope's arrival and departure on campus.

Many Catholic University students said they were not that familiar with Pope Benedict XVI, but there is a lot of enthusiasm for the visit.

"Everyone is so excited," said senior theology major Analee Moyer, a resident's assistant for the university dorms. "His first visit [to the U.S.] and he's coming to this school, walking the same paths that we are walking."

Moyer, like many other students, is taking an active role during the visit. She holds informational programs with her dorm's residents to prepare them for the event and will get the chance to see the pope twice during the week.

Four students who designed the chair to be used by the pope during his address appeared overwhelmed at the unveiling of their creation Friday.

"It's humbling," said Christopher Fullam, one of the student designers. "Being a Roman Catholic, to be able to contribute something as small as a chair, it embodies a lot."

For Megan French, a senior at the university, her contribution comes in the form of music. The music education major will be one of 17 students to "greet the holy father with music" as he arrives on campus.

"I can't think of any better way to leave Catholic University than partaking in this really monumental event," she said.

Local elementary and secondary schools in the area have been getting in on the act too, taking the opportunity to teach younger students about the pope through trivia contests, art projects and plays, according to archdiocese spokeswoman Georgina Stark.