Stephanie Effken

    They were chosen by the luck of the draw.
     But for the five seminarians from St. Gregory the Great Catholic Seminary in Seward, their trip to New York City to see Pope Benedict XVI was more than luck–it was a blessing.
     Using the draw-from-a-hat method, David Gayhart, Matthew Arias, Denton Morris, Tom Shultes and Rusty Montgomery were randomly chosen from 26 other seminarians' names to see the Pope.
     "Of course everyone wanted to go, but not everyone could," Shultes said.
     So April 18, these five men boarded a plane headed toward Newark Airport for a quick, yet historic, visit to see the Holy Father.
     Though travel plans did not quite work as smoothly as planned, they took the opportunity to sight-see on a car ride from LaGuardia–where they landed after missing their flight connection–to Newark–where their lost luggage was sent.
     During their three-day stay, the seminarians were hosted by a religious order just 20 miles north of Yonkers, N.Y., where they saw the Pope speak on April 19.
     That morning, they arrived at Saint Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers at 9 a.m. for the 4:30 p.m. event. By the time they passed security it was 11:30 a.m.
     Montgomery described security at the event as "pretty intense." There were sniper teams surrounding the stage, swat teams, three helicopters circling the area and "guys talking into their wrists."
     In anticipation of the real event, pre-Pope entertainment began at 12 p.m. and included singers such as Kelly Clarkson, Third Day and Toby Mac.
     The seminarians also received a VIP pass, sitting them closer to the stage.
     They estimated around 2,000 seminarians total at the event in Yonkers.
     "We saw people all day," Montgomery said. "Former graduates from here and friends from all over. Everyone was there for the same reason, to rejoice and see the Pope."
     The main purpose for the event in Yonkers was for the Pope to speak to young people and seminarians.
     "He addressed the youth on different topics," Morris said. "He talked about his past experiences and moral relativism. He talked about truth and how the church shows forth that truth."
     "He really spoke of what it means to be Catholic and Christian," Gayhart said. "He gave youth hope."
     All five agreed there was an intense excitement in the city of New York and that everyone felt a connection and a common purpose.
     Montgomery felt that the Pope's visit surprised many people, especially the media.
     "I think that the media was just wanting for him to mess up, and he didn't," he said. "He was really almost perfect and surprised so many people.
     "One headline in a newspaper said, 'He came, he saw, he conquered,' and that's what he did."
     The Pope's visit to America included messages to a variety of different audiences like the United Nations, the President of the United States, private people, the youth and handicapped.
     The seminarians from St. Gregory the Great were especially touched by the Pope's audience with the handicapped and felt it showed his true character as a holy man of the church.
     "People thought he was so strict and stringent," Shultes said. "But this trip showed his compassion."