Ticket drawing underway

A random drawing is underway this week at The Evangelist to determine who will attend an April Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI in Yankee Stadium.

The drawing was announced in the Jan. 3 issue of The Evangelist. Over the next several days, thousands of people mailed or brought in official coupons that entered them in the pool.

The large response indicated a keen interest among Catholics in seeing the pope. Although he has been in the U.S. previously as a cardinal, the April visit will be his first as pontiff.

Among Pope Benedict's stops will be Yankee Stadium in the Bronx for an April 20 Mass. It will be attended by tens of thousands of people. Through the generosity of the Archdiocese of New York, the pope's host during the New York City part of his American tour, several hundred tickets to the Mass have been given to the Albany Diocese.

Bishop Hubbard designated The Evangelist to arrange for the distribution of the tickets, as it has for previous papal events in New York City.

To give everyone interested in attending an equal chance of going to the liturgy, The Evangelist invited readers to send in the coupon from the Jan. 3 issue for the random drawing. The deadline for entry was Jan. 11.

(If you sent in a coupon, please do not call to learn if you have been chosen. Winners will be notified by mail.)

(01/17/08)