Sun Bowl joins Juarez in welcoming Pope Francis

Two women show emotion at The Sun Bowl Stadium to watch Pope Francis deliver mass in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Amanda Guillen, Editor in Chief • February 17, 2016

More than 30,000 people gathered at the Sun Bowl Stadium at the University of Texas at El Paso on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 17, to take part in the Two Nations One Faith papal visit to Ciudad Juarez celebration.

The event began at noon with guests being treated to a variety of performances. The Tigua Indian Nation Social Dancers performed traditional ritual dances. Other performers included guitarist Tony Melendez, singers Collin Raye and Andrea Thomas, the Bowie High School mariachi group and The El Paso Diocesan Choir, comprised of 120 musicians and singers. El Paso composer Peter Kolar composed and wrote a song for the event and for Pope Francis. Kolar was the director of the choir and his 7-year-old daughter, Chloe Kolar, was the soloist for the song.

Throughout the celebration, the crowd sang, held signs, flags and participated in the mass via live telecast. Cheers were heard throughout the stadium when Pope Francis addressed the crowds at the Sun Bowl and the El Paso community.

About the Contributors

Amanda Guillen, Editor-in-Chief

Amanda Guillen is a senior multimedia journalism major with a minor in women's studies. She was born and raised in El Paso, Texas and graduated from El Paso High School in 2011. She has been a part of The Prospector since summer 2013 and is currently Managing Editor. She has always had a passion for journalism and plans to become a television news reporter upon graduating from UTEP. In addition to being a full-time student and reporter, she is a part of two honor societies on campus, Alpha Lambda Delta and the National Society of Leadership and Success where she participates in community service regularly. Amanda also interns for KVIA Channel 7 the El Paso affiliate of ABC. Her love for the city of El Paso is something that led her to choose UTEP as her school of choice. She has enjoyed her past 3 years at the university and looks forward to an eventful school year.

Michaela Román, Editor-in-Chief

Michaela is a Senior Digital Media Production major at The University of Texas at El Paso. As the Editor-in-Chief, and former Photo Editor of The Prospector, she has learned to stay organized, manage a staff of writers and photographers, meet deadlines, cover events and network with others. She also has freelance experience and a personal photography business. Michaela aspires to work as an editor for a large media outlet and one day go to graduate school to teach photojournalism.