Bishop Amat High School - Tusitala Yearbook (La Puente, CA)

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He mwlwvf Our Lives It is not often that people are given the opportunity to take part in as highly an emotional event as that attended by a selected group of students. The event they at- tended was the Papal Teleconfer- ence to Young Adults held at the Universal Amphitheat r day for the stud Y. ni' a d fac- ulty. The majori y att n -o the Papal Motorcade n Lo An es. Thirty-three stu nts, howeve were fortunate en ugh in be cho- sen to attend the Papa Telecon- ference. Seeing the Pope was a special experience in itself. The excitement was only intensified by the fact that these students would be sharing it not only with the 6,000 youth in the Amphith- eater, but, with the use of Space- bridge, also with youth in St. Louis, Missouri, Denver, Colora- dog and Portland, Oregon. September 15 U Singer Tony Melendez was an inspirational addition to the event. The Pope was espe- cially thrilled with this gift of courage frorn Los Angeles. The Pope and Archbishop Mahony ac- knowledge the high school youth in the other three Spacebridge cities. Because the Pope had limited time in the United States, Spacebridge gave these cities the pportunity to participate in his visit. X 16 Student Life Although Pope John Paul II did not arrive until 3:00 p.m., the pro- gram had started almost two hours before. Entertainment was provided by a variety of perfor- mance groups. However, a power outage which caused near panic among the technical crew, cut the program short. Some acts were cancelled including one to be per- formed by juniors Stephanie Breen, Michelle Torrico, and Jen- nifer Anthony. They had put in many hours of rehearsal and were very disappointed. When the Pope finally stepped on stage, he was greeted with cheers and the song He's Got the Whole World in His Handsf' sung by the whole audience. By that time, there was so much energy in the building that everyone present found it difficult to contain them- selves. There was much to be said to the man who held the respect of people everywhere. The program was climaxed with a performance by Tony Melendez. Born with no arms, he played the guitar with his feet and sang beau- tifully, demonstrating courage, Los Angeles' gift to the Pope. Too soon, the Pope had to leave. After he blessed all of the participants, he made his way off the stage while all joined together and sang Lean on Me . lt was truly a spectacular exper- ience. The youth learned much about hope and service. Senior Anna Sanchez summed up the day by stating, lt was beautiful. It was a once in a lifetime event. Most important was that every- one who watched the conference, whether on television or in person, learned about and felt a special kind of love, the love of Christ. ,,..

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ELL On September 15, 1987, stu- dents and faculty took part in a historical event never to be forgot- ten. Holy Father, Pope John Paul II visited Los Angeles. This was the first time any Pope had come to this part of the United States. The start of the P0pe's two day visit was the motorcade in which over one thousand students and faculty took part. The Papal motorcade began at the L.A. International Airport and ended at Saint Vibianas Cathe- dral. Along the route, thousands and thousands of people had been waiting several hours for the Pope's arrival. Those from Bishop Amat who wanted to attend had to be at school 4:30 A.M. By 6:15 A.M., the first 18 buses had left the school, and by 7:00, had ar- rived at their destination. After arriving, students pro- ceeded to the corner of Sunset and Broadway, Amat's designated spot along the route. When students fi- nally found the place they wanted to be, it was time to visit. Many different things were done while waiting. Some students just sat and talked. Others searched for the needed restrooms or restuar- ants. Still others decided to ex- plore the streets of L.A. The smarts ones, however, pulled out their blankets and caught up on sleep lost waking up 3:30 in the morning just to be there. They knew that there was a long wait ahead of them. As the 10 o'clock hour ap- proached, students began to get ready. The Pope had landed and was expected to pass by at 11:10. Last minute searchers for res- trooms and food hurried so as not to miss the Pope's passing. Famil- iar cheers were begun by students. The old Amat, Lancers, Number, One! was said back and forth across the street. Students really got spirited. The wave was even attempted. When police cars and limousines passed by, the students knew the Pope was near and the cheering intensified. The Pope finally appeared in his Popemobile along with Arch- bishop Roger Mahony. The stu- dents were awed as he passed by considerably over the expected .FQ S 4. i fl . a is-it Smiling seniors line the streets as a feeling of anticipation fills the air, The long wait was about to pay off. -L GMES if Cloud nine miles per hour. In a flash, he was in and out of sight. As soon as he passed, everyone started head- ing either for the buses or for the Cathedral. For the students, it was time to head to the buses which were found several miles away. When asked what she thought about the motorcade, junior Chris- tina Kim commented, When he finally passed by, all the waiting seemed worth it. Many others felt the same way. Mr. Dave Me- dina felt that the students acted responsibly and made the day an overall success. Whether or not one felt the hassels of seeing the Pope were worth it, the day would never be forgotten when you chat- ted with police officers and even gave one of them a Lancer cap, watched and listened to Hispanic performance groups, tried to bar- gain with venders selling Pope memoribillia, or begged those passing out balloons to let you have one. Taking part in the Papal motorcade was truly an exper- ience to remember. Senior Miles Masatsugu takes a quick nap before the Pope arrives. Having stayed up all night, many eyelids were heavy in the early morning hours. Papal Motor Cade 15

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,Hr F1 'll-' itll, it We . 1 , We wwf' '-J Qi ' QQ... Nw. gil... Archbishop Roger Mahony greets Pope John Paul ll at St. Vibianas Cathedral in Los Angeles. The Holy Father had a very including the event at the Universal Am- phitheatre. The photo was taken by Javier Mendoza, Copyright 1987. ll .K 'NX X busy schedule during his short stay in L.A. 5 X Bishop Amat p oclaims the arrival of the I! F fq.--- . i , i Pope on the marquis. The events sched- uled had been under preparation for al- most a year before his arrival. Enthusiastic cheers followed the Holy Fa- ther throughout his stay in L.A. The Pope entered the stage amid joyous shouts. A portion of the 33 students who attended the conference take time out after being searched in front of the Universal Am- phitheatre. After finally being admitted, everyone was anxious for lunch, Papal Teleconference 17