Winning tickets chosen

Earlier this week, letters were mailed to hundreds of Catholics, informing them that they had won tickets to attend a Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI when he visits Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on April 20.

Approximately 3,200 requests were received by The Evangelist in response to a coupon that appeared in its Jan. 3 issue, inviting readers to enter a random drawing for tickets.

Five hundred seats in the stadium were allocated to the Albany Diocese by the Archdiocese of New York, which is hosting the pope during the New York leg of his visit to the U.S. He will also stop in Washington, D.C.

The notification letters have the primary purpose of confirming the identity of those who will make the trip. For security reasons, each attendee at the Mass must show a photo ID that gives their name, address and date of birth.

That information must be confirmed by the winners in order for them to get into Yankee Stadium.

Each of the 14 counties that make up the Albany Diocese will have representatives at the papal Mass.

Cardinal Edward Egan of New York City has called the papal visit "an extraordinary blessing."

(01/31/08)