Archbishop Rigali arrived at the Archdiocesan Office Center at 222 North 17th Street at 8:45 a.m. this morning. He was greeted by the applause of approximately 200 employees of the archdiocesan office center, who welcomed him as he stepped onto the patio and into the lobby. The Archbishop stopped briefly to exchange greetings with employees and shake their hands.

At approximately 9:00 a.m., Archbishop Rigali took the elevator to his office on the 12th floor. He met briefly and privately with staff and signed some legal documents. He also hand wrote a personal letter to the Holy Father (contents of the letter are private).

At approximately 11:30 a.m., the Archbishop went to the building cafeteria on the 13th floor where he met the cafeteria staff and greeted tables of employees. As part of this special day of welcome, employees, along with the new Archbishop, were treated to a "Taste of Philadelphia" lunch featuring cheese steaks, Tastykakes and soft pretzels, with plenty of mustard, of course. The Archbishop sampled the traditional Philadelphia fare. Employees, especially those were not at the installation yesterday, thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to personally meet the new Archbishop.

At 1:30 p.m., Archbishop Rigali departed for his residence for an opportunity settle in and acclimate himself to his new surroundings. He will say his first Mass at a Philadelphia parish at 7:00 p.m. this evening, at St. Martin of Tours in Northeast Philadelphia and greet parishioners afterward. There are no planned interviews, although reporters and cameras are welcome.

The Archbishop plans to say Mass in each of the six vicariates (five counties) of the Archdiocese:

Wednesday, October 8 at 7:00 p.m. St. Martin of Tours in Northeast Philadelphia.
Thursday, October 9 at 7:00 p.m. Corpus Christi Parish in Upper Gwynedd (Montgomery County)
Monday, October 13 at 7:00 p.m. Our Lady of Good Counsel in Southampton (Bucks County)
The Archbishop departs for Rome with archdiocesan pilgrims on October 14 and returns in late October.
Monday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. Saint Pius X Parish in Broomall (Delaware County)
Tuesday, October 28 at 7:00 p.m. Saints Peter and Paul Church, East Goshen (Chester County)
Thursday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m. Good Shepherd Parish in Southwest Philadelphia.

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Editor's Note: Associated Press was the pool still photographer for daytime. Videotape of the same is available on beta and VHS. Tapes may be picked up in the lobby of 222 N. 17 th Street beginning at 3:00 p.m. Please call the Communications Office in advance to advise that you would like a tape.

Contact
Catherine L. Rossi
Director of Communications
215-587-3747