PORTLAND – One hundred Roman Catholic parishioners from East Millinocket to Kennebunk will attend a public Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI on April 20 at Yankee Stadium in New York during his six-day visit to the U.S.

Tickets to the Mass were portioned out by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Diocese of Portland said parishes published notices in January about the ticket availability and requests were answered on a first-come, first-served basis.

The pope plans to arrive April 15 in Washington, D.C., where his schedule includes a White House meeting with President Bush. All 350 U.S. bishops, including Portland’s Richard Malone, have been invited to join the pope for a private prayer service at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. On April 17, the bishops will concelebrate a public Mass with the pope at the Washington Nationals baseball stadium.