Clergy and laity from Peachtree City's Holy Trinity Church

have apparently made the Papal "A" list.

Less than two weeks ago, Father John Walsh, pastor of

Holy Trinity, was summoned to the Vatican in Rome for a

private audience with Pope John Paul II, along with former Holy

Trinity parochial vicar Father Frank McNamee and Deacon

Don Kelsey. Today, about 50 members of the church's Life

Teen program will join in a celebration of the Mass with the Pope in

St. Louis. Parochial Vicar Father Kevin Peek will celebrate the

Mass with approximately 100 priests in one of the city's major stadiums.

The group left Peachtree City Monday at noon, heading west

to join thousands of other youth and adults congregating in St.

Louis for the Pope's 30- hour United States stopover, following his

five-day visit to Mexico.

Less than two weeks ago, Walsh was enjoying a one-week

pilgrimage to the Holy City in Rome with 50 parishioners from Holy

Trinity when he was contacted by phone and informed that his

request for an audience would be granted. "It was amazing,"

Walsh said of his visit to his Holiness. "We had to be there at 7 a.m.

We walked to the Vatican ourselves and we were met by a

Swiss Guard," Walsh recalled. "I presented the letter from the

Archbishop (Atlanta Archbishop John F. Donoghue) stating I was a

priest in good standing." The three were invited into the chapel.

Walsh, accompanied by McNamee and Kelsey,

celebrated Mass in English with the Pope along with priests from

Sierra Leone, Peru and other English-speaking priests. Afterwards,

the small group was ushered into the library. "We made a circle

around him and he spoke to each of us in our own language," Walsh

said. He received a blessing and a rosary from the Pope.

"It's an experience," Walsh said. "I thought about what I was

going to say to the Pope, but when I met him, I was overwhelmed. I

shook his hand and said I was from Atlanta."

Parishioners on tour with Walsh reported that extensive work is

in progress at the Vatican for the Jubilee of the Year 2000.

Scaffolding is a fixture at almost every tourist site, with cleaning and

delicate renovation work being done on some of the world's

greatest art treasures. "It was a very fine trip," Walsh said.

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