Pope Benedict XVI

When visitors enter the Church of Notre Dame, located at 114th Street and Morningside Drive, they pass a picture of Pope Benedict XVI, smiling and dressed in full Church regalia. Usually, such images are as near as parishioners can reasonably hope to come to the man believed by Catholics to be the Vicar of Christ. But during the Pope’s recent visit to New York, some churchgoers got a closer look.

Nestled among a crowd of Methodist, Greek Orthodox, Baptist, Episcopal, Pentecostal, and Catholic leaders, Columbia University Chaplain Jewelnel Davis sat in St. Joseph’s Church in Yorkville last Friday awaiting the start of a service run by Pope Benedict XVI. Spectator’s Scott Levi sat down with Davis on Wednesday to review what she called a “worldwide experience.”

Upon my arrival at Columbia, I could have easily made the decision to isolate myself from the Catholic community on campus. Instead, I became involved because I wanted to share a significant part of my life as a devout Catholic with other students who felt just as strongly about their faith as I did.