Local priest speaks on sitting in at Pope Francis’ mass

“It’s a new spiritual energy in the community”

That’s what El Paso’s Rev. Arturo Banuelas told ABC-7 Friday afternoon.

“I’m just so excited and so happy that our holy father is coming to our border area because it is the best the Catholic Church has to offer the world,” Bunelas said.

Banulas has been the pastor at St. Marks Church for two years.

He tells ABC-7 the pope’s visit to the Borderland could change everyone’s outlook of the area.

“Many times people in the country look at the border as a place of fear and violence and our holy father’s presence is going to show another side, that we have lived in peaceful coexistence for years,” Banulas said.

Although Banulas hasn’t gotten his ticket, he knows he will be in the presence of the pope.

“The priests have been allocated a section with the Juarez priests. Again because we feel this communion with each other,” Banulas said.

Banulas tells ABC-7 there has been difficult details to be addressed but the workload has been a bonding experience for the Juarez, Las Cruces and El Paso Diocese.

“The excitement that the holy father is coming has been the spirit of working overtime with everybody because we only had two months to prepare where as most places have a year,” Banulas.

Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects for Banulas is the spiritual bouquet.

There are hundreds of messages or ‘acts of mercy’ that parishioners have written for Pope Francis on doves that hang behind the altar.

“You can see the large number of people that have responded to acts of mercy and every week the wall gets more crowded,” Banulas said.

Messages like from Martin Santos wrote: He wants to help kids with cancer
and Marissa wrote: She will show compassion for those who feel alone.

“These act of mercy intimately connect us with our holy father. He is a sign of God’s mercy,” Banulas said.

A portion of all of those messages will be made into a huge spiritual bouquet and delivered to Pope Francis before he leaves.