Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a good Ash Wednesday a.k.a. the first day of Lent. Did you celebrate Fat Tuesday yesterday? It’s been years since I’ve gone out for Mardi Gras. El Paso usually hosts a Mardi Gras street festival every year. Do you plan on giving something up for Lent?
The countdown begins for the Pope’s arrival in Ciudad, Juarez. There isn’t a day that goes by where you don’t hear about his arrival on the radio, television or online. A couple of my co-workers are traveling to Juarez to see him. By this time next week, Pope Francis will visit Juarez for a few hours. His tour in Mexico starts Friday in Mexico City. It will conclude in Juarez. According to the El Paso Times, at least 450,000 people are expected to welcome him. Several from all over the country are expected to travel to El Paso or Juarez. The mass will be televised locally, as well as at the Sun Bowl. Various parks throughout El Paso will be used for media coverage.
Before mass, Pope Francis will visit Cereso Prison and Colegio Bachilleres. He will hold mass at El Punto, a large field near the Benito Juarez Stadium. El Punto holds about 220,000 people. In order to accommodate the Pontiff, a lot of construction and renovations took place in Juarez.
I asked for press credentials to cover his arrival at UTEP (The University of Texas-El Paso) or a nearby park. I’m still not sure if I’m going to receive them. I won’t be traveling to Juarez. It would be great if I get the opportunity to cover the event with various media outlets! If I receive the credentials, I’ll include lots of photos and a post next Wednesday. If I don’t, I’ll still have a post for you. Luckily, I’ll be off from my day job. My son will also be out of school. I work in downtown El Paso so it will be very hard to commute from the other side of town. I was recently told it would even be hard to find parking. Several of El Paso’s highways and streets will shut down for 24 hours. The El Paso County Courthouse, City Hall and most schools will be closed.
Photo from Wikipedia
Thank you for reading it! 🙂
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wow – such great, impressive – well done….
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Thanks Tracy! I’ll let you know what happens.
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I hope you get the credentials, Lisa! This would be huge! Best of luck if you receive them!
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Yes it will be televised. I love El Paso too! There’s no place like home! 🙂 I left for awhile but came back.
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I won’t be at the Sun Bowl to watch, but will they be locally televising any of it? Yes I grew up here 🙂 but have been in Dallas since college. I am back here often since my parents and whole family still lives here. No place like EP!! 🙂
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😀
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Yes, that’s Lisa!!! 👍
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Thank you Erika 🙂 I’ll have a post either way.
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🙂
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Wow, what an event! And being there must be a highlight in your career, Lisa! I cross my fingers for you!
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Well the pope,you know?
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Yea why lie? Lol.
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Thank you Gabriela! 🙂 Will you be watching it here? I thought you lived in El Paso?
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OH!
Being honest, eh?
Good girl! LOL!
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I have been spending time with my family in El Paso the last weeks and am looking forward to his visit! That is really neat that your friends will be going to hear him speak! I hope you get to cover it. I look forward to your post about it either way!
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No. I meant when I was younger I would give it up for Lent. I’ll be honest, I drank a Seven Up recently 😦
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I thought you already gave up soda a while back? Did you go back on it?
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Really? I haven’t heard that at all. They say it’s calmed down a lot in Juarez. He’s going to a prison too.
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Do you go to church?
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Oh wow! Chocolate is a hard one to give up! I think I gave up soda. My parents were pretty lenient on us going to church/practicing. We visited different places of worship. Some of my family are Jehovahs Witnesses so we went a few times to their congregation. We mostly went to a Catholic church though. I got to read some of the Bible. He’s respected by many.
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Yes, he is so real. I like him and I am not a catholic!
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It seems like a lot of people like him. He’s kind of like a rock star in a way.
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He is? Sort of worried. Heard the cartels are mad at him?
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Growing up in Catholic school, I gave up lots of stuff for Lent. Mostly chocolate, which I could then binge on at Easter. The hardest was potato chips…a salt addiction.
I’ve been away from the Church for many years now, but there is something so inspiring about this particular Pope. ❤️
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I am Episcopalian. I like the Pope… his personality, his position on the state of the world, and the hope that he brings to people all over the world.
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I was raised Catholic too. I don’t practice it much anymore. I even went to a private Catholic school with mean nuns. Lol. A lot of people seem to like and respect him. Maybe I’ll start going to church again.
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I like this Pope and his progressive views. He’s got most hard line Catholics shaking their heads with his stances. To me, that’s a good thing. I was raised catholic but no longer participate. But in my opinion, he’s good for that denomination.
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