Long Island Churches Plan To Greet Pope Francis With Ringing Of Bells
ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Some churches on Long Island are planning a joyous greeting for Pope Francis when he arrives in New York.
Church bells are scheduled to ring across Long Island at 5 p.m. Thursday as the pope's plane lands at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Long Island Churches To Ring Bells To Signal Pope's Arrival In New York
Sean Dolan, spokesman for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, expects more than 100 churches in the diocese to ring their bells to herald the arrival of Pope Francis.
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"Everybody's just so excited, I like to say it's like a joyful noise, it's a way of saying, 'Hey let's welcome the pope' and the church bells are a good way to do that," Dolan told 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera. "We hope pastors demonstrate the enthusiasm and joy for welcoming Pope Francis."
Pope Francis was heading to Washington, D.C. Tuesday afternoon following a four-day trip to Cuba.
The pope will be in New York City from Sept. 24 to Sept. 26.
His jam-packed schedule includes an address at the United Nations, presiding over a service at the 9/11 memorial, participating in a procession through Central Park, visiting an East Harlem school and celebrating Mass at Madison Square Garden.
To see a complete schedule of the pope's upcoming visit, click here.
You can watch all of the Pope's events on CBS2 and on CBSNewYork.com.
