Although the U.S. visit of Pope Benedict XVI took place on the "opposite" coast, a number of people from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles --- in addition to Cardinal Roger Mahony and the auxiliary bishops --- attended one or more of the events that took place in Washington, D.C., and New York City between April 15 and 20.

Following are some of their reflections and comments.

At the White House
Among the estimated 13,500 well-wishers attending a welcoming ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House April 16 was Sylvia Mendivil Salazar, coordinator of Native American Concerns Ministry for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. A member of the National Advisory Council for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Mendivil Salazar arrived at the White House April 16 by 6:30 a.m. and was able to get one of the few available seats in the center area.

"You could see all the excitement on people's faces," she told The Tidings. "So many people were there in a spirit of welcome."

Mendivil Salazar said she appreciated the messages of hope in the speeches of President George W. Bush and Pope Benedict XVI. She said the pontiff acknowledged the faith and noble principles of U.S. Americans as well as well as difficulties and struggles throughout the country's history.

"For us to be indigenous and to hear all this brings a message of hope for our people," said Mendivil Salazar, who works full-time as a pediatric nurse. "Native American Catholics have deep faith. We're proud of our deep faith."

The pope was celebrating his 81st birthday, and he smiled and beamed as the crowd --- estimated to be the largest at the White House during President Bush's tenure --- sang an impromptu "Happy Birthday."

With educators
"First of all, the Pope was extremely affirming - very affirming of Catholic educators - and, of course, he commented that he himself had been a professor in higher education," reported Sister of Charity Mary Elizabeth Galt, who attended Pope Benedict XVI's April 17 address to U.S. Catholic educators at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

"He really put Catholic education in the context of hope, and that we have to be an 'apostolate of hope,'" the chancellor of the Los Angeles Archdiocese said. "He praised Catholic education because it's been a priority of our church, and he noted how it went back to parochial school pioneers Saints Elizabeth Ann Seton and Katherine Drexel.

"But the one point that was very important to me, he said that Catholic education must be accessible to all people - no child should be denied a Catholic education."

Sister Galt heard Benedict speak in a widely anticipated encounter with some 300 presidents of the nation's Catholic colleges and universities along with school superintendents and representatives like herself from 195 dioceses and archdioceses.

The former elementary school teacher, principal, supervisor and superintendent was also impressed by the pope's remark, which she jotted down, that "Faith has to be tangible in our Catholic institutions."

"He was not critical at all," she stressed. "He never criticized the United States for being self-absorbed or anything. Instead he just talked about the power of the 'communal witness' of our schools. He was very, very affirming because we have the largest system of Catholic schools and colleges in the world. He was very pleased about that.

"But there was a call to be witnesses," she observed. "He said that society places a great value on Catholic education and that this is not only a responsibility, but it's an opportunity to witness to the message of Jesus Christ. He said do not abandon Catholic education in our inner cities. On that I wanted to stand up and cheer. It was a powerful message, and people did clap."

Jacqueline Powers Doud, president of Mount St. Mary's College, said the pope's 30-minute speech was very positive "with turns of phrase that were quite eloquent. He called us to renew our commitment to Catholic identity and to assist our students to experience the harmony among faith, life and culture."

She appreciated Pope Benedict's comments about making Catholic education accessible to all. "One thing I felt very reinforced about, he urged us to continue to offer students of all economic backgrounds the opportunity for a Catholic education. This is a value we have always cherished at Mount St. Mary's," said Doud, who characterized Pope Benedict's address as "an historic moment."

"Appreciative and affirmative, encouraging and challenging" was the description used by Jesuit Father Robert Lawton, president of Loyola Marymount University, of Pope Benedict's talk. Rather than wield some sort of theological hammer of orthodoxy, as some had expected (even hoped), the pope's address "was not a scold at all, but rather a message that held up the ideal of Catholic education," Father Lawton said.

"In the Catholic university setting, we try to get to know God better, and to love God more deeply," Father Lawton noted. "That was something the pope was mindful of in his talk. And many of us were struck by his phrase, 'intellectual charity,' which he said calls educators to recognize that our responsibility to lead the young to truth is nothing less than an act of love. That's something we all can all do well to focus on in our ministry."

He also was pleased that the pope commented favorably about secular education, and he praised the pope's "very thorough" knowledge of Catholic education in the U.S.

With seminarians and youth
"It was simply amazing to see so many youth gathered in great excitement," enthused Chan Lee, first-year seminarian at St. John's Seminary, in Camarillo, on the April 19 meeting in Yonkers, N.Y., with seminarians and youth.

"It was excitement that had meaning," Lee continued, "excitement that showed that young people love the Holy Father, our amazing faith, and our holy, Catholic and apostolic Church. But most of all, it showed how much we all hunger for Christ."

Lee, from St. Gregory Nazianzen Church in Los Angeles, said the excitement reflected the hearts that were stirred by the Holy Spirit. "What an encouragement for young seminarians like me!" he said. "It gave me a profound sense of gratitude for my vocation. I was reminded that it is a great honor to be called to serve the future generation of the Church in whatever small way I can, in solidarity with a pope who loves us dearly."

Some 25,000 seminarians, religious and young people packed the grounds of St. Joseph's Seminary, including 19 seminarians from St. John's that represented a cross-section of ages, ethnicities and dioceses, said Msgr. Craig Cox, rector. "Some of them got there at 9:30 that morning, seven or eight hours before it began, to get a good position in front," he noted. "Several commented to me on the way home that being in that gathering with the Holy Father, the successor of Peter, gave them a sense of unity with the world, and especially unity in service to Christ."

Msgr. Cox was particularly impressed by Pope Benedict's "touching and moving" reference to seminarians' families and support of vocations. "I also appreciated the very positive way he spoke on vocations and the religious life, as something to be embraced and a place to find joy. And many of us were struck by his words that 'the people of God want you to be holy, to have a deep friendship with Jesus, to speak heart to heart with him.'"

Overall, Msgr. Cox noted, "The pope had a very inspiring presence that touched me. And he made a definite connection with those in attendance. In fact, the non-seminarian youth really gave him undivided attention, which I thought was wonderful."

Contributing to this story were R.W. Dellinger, Paula Doyle, Ellie Hidalgo and Mike Nelson.