D.C. Vestment Peek!

Here is an article from NBC 4 in D.C. Even better than the article is the video. Watch it to get a sneak peek at the pope's vestments for the Mass in D.C.

The Rev. Mark Knestout is in charge of transforming the Nationals' new ballpark into a solemn sanctuary for the pope's visit to Washington, D.C.

He is the director of worship for the Archdiocese of Washington and will command a small army of 2,000 volunteers during the Mass.

Among the things on his to-do list are to arrange seating for 46,000 people, get programs for the Mass, oversee chalice design, get vestment fabric and move the St. Mark's crucifix. He also must trust that students at Catholic University will mill the pope's seal to perfection.

"The hardest part, really, is getting the people to where they need to be, to be seated," Knestout said.

"The field itself would be set up as a church. So you would have a sanctuary. It will have the altar. It will have the pulpit, or the ambo, as we call it, the chair for the Holy Father," Knestout said. "There'll be seating for the cardinals and for the various members of the papal entourage. Nearby, there will be seats for those who are involved in the liturgy itself."

Knestout said the only thing left to chance is parish seating for the Mass.


"It's almost like bingo in the sense of pulling out of a hat the various sections, because some sections are better than others," Knestout said.

However, he said there's no such thing as a bad seat when the pope celebrates Mass.