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This column is the first in a three-part series by Father Lawrence. To concelebrate Mass with Pope Benedict XVI at Nationals Park last week, I had to get out of bed by 4 a.m., a task I do not undertake lightly. But I was sure it was going to be worth it, and it was. When you celebrate the Eucharist with the pope, you know – not in your head, nor even in your gut, but deep down in your bones – that you are a part of something that is 25,000 miles around and 2,000 years deep.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – A Jaffna diocesan priest active in promoting human rights was killed April 20 by a roadside bomb on the way back to his church after celebrating Mass in a parish substation.

It was a week that most of us will long remember and gratefully recall! In a message videotaped before his arrival, Pope Benedict XVI clearly stated the theme he would develop in keeping with “three simple but essential words: ‘Christ Our Hope.’ ” He said he wished to “proclaim this great truth: Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition.”

NEW YORK – As they prepared to meet Pope Benedict XVI for his first papal visit to the United States, many U.S. Catholics couldn’t help but compare him to Pope John Paul II, whom they had known for nearly three decades.

NEW YORK – On his first trip to the United States, Pope Benedict XVI achieved three objectives that could be considered critical to the pastoral future of the American church.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Here is the text of Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks at his departure ceremony at John F. Kennedy International Airport April 20.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Here is the White House text of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney’s remarks at the farewell ceremony for Pope Benedict XVI at John F. Kennedy International Airport April 20.

NEW YORK – From the White House to the U.N. General Assembly hall and from ground zero to the Washington Nationals’ baseball stadium, Pope Benedict XVI preached a message of hope built on faith and a joint commitment to defending the dignity of the human person.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Thanking Americans for their hospitality, Pope Benedict XVI departed the United States amid a cheering crowd of 4,000 people who had come to see him off.