By SARAH GARLAND

One Pope, One Reporter, Three Stories

sarah garland — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:36:33 +0000

I took on the pope beat last weekend for a few days. While most media outlets flooded the zone with armies of cameras and reporters furiously scribbling about every move he made, it was just me for the Sun. On Friday, I followed hundreds of other reporters onto a caravan of buses and into a Secret Service security quarantine where we were denied food or water for about seven hours (last time I was funneled through Secret Service bag check, we ended up in a room with a lavish breakfast buffet. But that was for President Bush, this was for the Pope. Fasting, I suppose, was somehow more appropriate). In the end I was rewarded by some great interviews with folks who showed up at the church on the Upper East Side to see Benedict, including a group of ecstatic nuns and a grumpy priest who provided my kicker. Here are some dispatches from the weekend, including a long news analysis looking at the impact of the trip

At ‘Crossroads,’ Benedict Calls for Increased Faith
April 18, 2008
http://nysun.com/news/%E2%80%98crossroads%E2%80%99-benedict-calls-increased-faith

Benedict Reaches Out to Ecumenical Community in NYC
April 18, 2008
http://nysun.com/news/new-york/benedict-reaches-out-ecumenical-community-new-york

‘Use Wisely the Blessings of Freedom’
Pontiff Ends Visit With a Challenge
April 21, 2008
http://www.nysun.com/news/use-wisely-blessings-freedom

Hope for a Papal Visit in the Shadow of Yankee Stadium

sarah garland — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:43:52 +0000

Thirty years ago, Pope John Paul II took a spontaneous detour into the South Bronx during a trip to Yankee Stadium to say mass. This week, I wondered what would happen if the new pope, Benedict XVI, would do the same, and what he might find there. I discovered one parish that had the same thought: the priest at St. Rita’s Church, a strikingly pretty little white-washed building that stood out in its rather depressing surroundings, had photo-shopped a picture of the pope over one of their church and created a banner. I also discovered that not much has changed in these neighborhoods since John Paul stopped by. It’s still one of the poorest Congressional Districts in the nation, and the say a noon mass each day at St. Rita’s to pray for an end to violence in the neighborhood. Yet, it was also a hopeful scene, even though parishes in the area have closed. (The photographer and I came across one church, a majestic baroque building, down the street from where John Paul said a blessing. The doors were flung open wide, so we walked in. Looking up there were glass chandeliers, opulent stained glass windows and a tall arching ceiling. But looking down, dust covered the pews, light fixtures were piled up for recycling, and a broom sat leaning near piles of dirt. We were soon discovered by a construction worker, who told us the parish was now closed and then scooted us out of the building)

St. Rita’s, on the other hand, was booming with new parishioners, most of them Hispanic. Meeting with some of them, I thought, hey, if the pope wants to get to know the American Catholic Church, no better place to come than here. So I guess we’ll see what happens…

http://www.nysun.com/news/new-york/bronx-detour-could-prove-edifying-benedict

Are Plato and Gandhi Compatible?

sarah garland — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:04:35 +0000

In a little foray into the higher education beat, I profile a professor who has what few would consider a desirable task: trying to make idealistic, left-leaning college students and conservative, right-leaning academics happy at the same time. His job is to take multicultural requirement in Columbia’s great books program and bring it up to par with the other “serious” courses in the curriculum. A wild guess says Musics of the Caribbean and Intro to Japanese Painting are coming off the list.

http://nysun.com/news/new-york/columbia-professor-takes-overhaul-core-curriculum

Following Burmese Refugees For a Week

sarah garland — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 19:55:05 +0000

I followed a group of Burmese refugees from (almost) the moment they got off the plane to their new house in a rough Brooklyn neighborhood and out into the city during their first week in New York. A sidebar that briefly overviews the PATRIOT Act politics that have prevented other refugee groups from coming links from the story. The best part of the package is probably the photographer’s contribution, a slide show that really captures in their faces the worry, bewilderment, and excitement as they navigate their new world.

http://nysun.com/news/new-york/burma-refugees-relaunch-lives-new-york-city