Welcoming Pope Francis to St. Augustine, Florida (on or about September 8, 2015) T

he first Roman Catholic Pope from the Americas – and our first Jesuit Pope – will soon be invited here to St. Augustine, to help celebrate the 450^th anniversary of St. Augustine, including the first Catholic Mass in North America, both on September 8, 2015.

The Argentinian-born Pope Francis is humble, dedicated to social justice, rides public transportation, lived in a small apartment, and cooked his own meals. He is an intellectual who taught psychology and other subjects and earned a Ph.D

He is an empathetic Jesuit scholar, one who ministers in the slums of Argentina, who excoriated those he called “hypocritical” priests who refused to Baptize the children of single mothers, who gave birth rather than "returning: their baby "to sender." We look forward to Pope Francis visiting here and teaching us here.

When he visits in St. Augustine in 2015, perhaps Pope Francis might dedicate a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, perhaps in association with the dedication of what we hope (and pray) will be our Nation's next National Park, the St. Augustine National Historical Park and National Seashore. www.staugustgreen.com

Yes we can!