CEDAR FALLS - They remember the meetings. Brief. Sacred. Unequivocal.

Jim and Cecilia Mudd of Cedar Falls, devout Catholics, had the opportunity to meet the late Pope John Paul II and his successor, Pope Benedict XVI.

"It's a peak experience without question," said Jim Mudd Sr. "You are looking into his eyes and they look back at you as if they are looking right through you. They are piercing eyes.

"You don't know what to say other than 'Pray for me.'"

The Mudds, along with the Rev. Jim Starbuck of Waterloo, will join others from Northeast Iowa and across the country in greeting Pope Benedict on his first visit to the United States April 15-20 as head of the Catholic Church. The pope is scheduled to make multiple stops in New York and Washington, D.C.

Thousands plan to share Mass with their pope at Nationals Stadium and at Yankee Stadium. The Mudds and Starbuck, however, say they are blessed with a unique privilege. They have tickets to see the pope April 16 when he greets President Bush on the White House lawn.

"Maybe we'll get to meet both," Cecilia Mudd said.

One-on-one time with either would be an honor for the Mudds, though they place the pope at the top of the wish list. Jim Mudd Sr. said he is thrilled about the trip in general.

"We are just humbled by the invitation," he said.

The Mudds also plan to attend a reception with the pope and other representatives of the world's religions, a gathering for former U.S. ambassadors to the Vatican and a Catholic prayer breakfast where the president typically makes an appearance.

The Mudds aren't entirely certain why they ended up with these invitations, only that is was through their work with the Catholic Leadership Institute. Other Iowans obtained tickets via their archdiocese.

Starbuck said the Mudds asked him to join them for the White House gathering. The Waterloo native recently returned to the Cedar Valley after a 30-year absence.

Accepting the invitation was easy, Starbuck said. He described Pope Benedict as a gifted theologian.

"It's a brilliant honor to us (as Catholics) and a real historic moment," Starbuck said.

Starbuck saw Pope Benedict in November while leading a pilgrimage to Rome. He also met President Bush when he was running for office. Starbuck, a former military chaplain, asked a question about troop deployment during Bush's meeting with clergy. Starbuck said an aide flagged him down for a one-on-one conversation with Bush afterward.

Though Starbuck has crossed paths with popes and the president in the past, that doesn't diminish his excitement for the upcoming adventures.

"It's going to be a wonderful experience again to meet the Holy Father, and to have him come visit is just a very special occasion," Starbuck said.

The Mudds might say the same. They want to be changed.

"You hope you come away with a greater sense of the duty of the Lord," Jim Mudd Sr. said. "You just are elevated spiritually."

Marian Bourek of Farley has similar aspirations. She is leading a bus tour and 50 people to New York for a papal Mass scheduled for April 20. The bus will depart from a church in Farley about 20 miles west of Dubuque.

Bourek hoped to take a group east and once she got the OK to fill seats, she had to scramble to make arrangements in time. Tickets, she said, are nontransferable.

"I had about four days to come up with 50 people," Bourek said.

"It was amazing how it fell into place."

The trip to see Pope Benedict will be a first for many on the trip, Bourek said.

"Hopefully we'll all grow spiritually and get to know him better, and it's just an opportunity to be in the same location with such a holy man," she said.

Tickets were distributed to parishes in the Washington, D.C., area and to archdioceses outside the nation's capital. Tickets are no longer available through the Archdiocese of Dubuque but main events will be televised on the EWTN Cable TV network, according to the diocese.

To track Pope Benedict XVI's visit, go online at www.adw.org/home.asp. According to the Web site, those without tickets may be able to see the pope en route to venues. The Web site also includes a waiting list for the April 17 Mass in Washington, D.C., but indicates tickets are unlikely to become available.

Contact Karen Heinselman at (319) 291-1581 or karen.heinselman@wcfcourier.com.