Exclusive: First Look at Yankee Stadium Stage

Here's an artist's rendering of what the stage at Yankee Stadium will look like. (Click on the image to enlarge it.) Stig Edgren, president of SEG Events, is producing the event, as well as the event at St. Joseph's Seminary, and the event at "Ground Zero." Edgren is flying, from California to New                               York today, where he will remain until the papal visit. He is no stranger to papal events. This will be the fourth papal Mass he's produced. He also produced Pope John Paul II's Masses at Dodger Stadium, the Los Angeles Coliseum, and New York's Mass in Central Park. Among the challenges they face at Yankee Stadium is time. Because of the baseball season, they have 48 hours from the start of when they can begin building to when the event begins. The Yankee Stadium stage was designed by Rene Lagler, who has designed the 1984 Olympic opening and closing ceremonies and Democratic and Republican National Conventions.

Edgren told me the following regarding the "Concert of Hope," which will take place prior to the Mass, as people are entering the stadium and being seated. Il Divo will not be performing. Harry Connick Jr. is not only performing, but is composing special pieces for the opening and closing pageantry of the pre-Mass show. Other performers will include Jose Feliciano, Marcello Giordani, Ronan Tynan, the West Point Cadets, Harlem Gospel Choir, the Young People's Chorus, and the boys' choir Libera. In addition, Edgren said that Benoit Jutras, with Cirque Du Soleil, has been commissioned for a special piece, and
choreographer Daniel Ezralow and puppet designer Michael Curry, both who have worked with Cirque Du Soleil, are also putting together some pieces for the show.

Comments

[Adam Carlo]

salut,

je suis Adam Carlo, enfant de choeur de la Paroisse Sainte de petite place Cazeau.
je suis le coodonateur du groupe enfant de choeur.

je voulais vous posez quelque question, j'aimerais avoir la reponse.

1. pourquoi l'eglise catholique foctionne comme un dicta.

2. pourquoi on applique pas la democratie dans la religion catholique.

3. dans les messages du PaPe Benoit XVI il a toujours parler de la jeunesse tandis ce que on a jamais fait rien pour les jeunes catholique. Ainsi je termine a mes questions.

l'egliz se nou, nou se legliz!

[Tim Drake]

Dear Adam,

Thank you for taking the time to submit your questions. I'm forever grateful to my French teacher, Mr. Curt Eckers, so that I could decipher your post. Thanks also go to a colleague from Salt + Light Television, Kris Dmytrenko, who helped with a few words I didn't know.

To answer your questions: First, the Church isn't a dictatorship, nor does it operate like one. It is a hierarchical community formed around the teachings of Jesus Christ. Those who are a part of the community participate in the function of the Church.

Second, it's not a democracy because the Church as it was established by Jesus Christ was not a democracy, but rather a hierarchical community of persons. We need to distinguish between doctrine and practical questions. While doctrine, as established by Jesus Christ and handed down by the Pope in concert with the Magisterium, does not change, on the local level parishes and dioceses have a fair amount of leeway on practical questions. If the Church were a democracy we would likely mess it up and the Church wouldn't have lasted 2,000 years.

Finally, the Church does a great deal for young people. Perhaps less so in France than in the U.S., I'm not familiar with the situation there. In the U.S., many parishes have youth ministry programs. There are an abundant number of youth ministry programs in the U.S. - LifeTeen, Net Ministries, Young Disciples, Totus Tuus, and many more. And, of course, one can't forget World Youth Day, the epi-center of the Church's youth movement.