Subways, security, and steaks- what do these three words have in common? They all describe my amazing weekend in Philadelphia!
Along with five hundred other students, I travelled with Notre Dame to see Pope Francis in Philadelphia, his last stop in the United States. In addition to visiting Saint Joseph’s University, a prison, and sexual assault victims, Pope Francis was in Philly to celebrate the closing mass of the World Meeting of Families, the world’s largest Catholic conference, which is celebrated only every three years and included workshops, festivals, and lectures all this past week in Philadelphia. Saturday afternoon, just after the first touchdown was scored, complimentary Jimmy John’s and super-cute Papal Pilgrimage t-shirts in hand, we boarded nine buses and departed on the twelve hour journey to Philadelphia to attend the closing mass and get a glimpse of Pope Francis.
Twelve hours stuffed in a bus can seem long, but snacks, sleeping, and my fellow Smicks helped make the overnight trip go by fast. When we finally arrived in Philadelphia, we had to park a ways outside the city, and we were handed tokens and ushered to the subway. Public transportation, especially subways with big crowds and confusing routes, always stresses me out, but somehow we made it into the city of Brotherly Love without accidentally leaving a Belle behind.
Starbucks and cameras in hand, we planned on seeing as much of Philly as we could in only a few hours. This agenda was made easier by the fact that all the museums and monuments were shut down due to the Papal visit, but we still managed to visit the red Love sign and the beautiful Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.
The Pope’s small parade and closing mass were to be celebrated in Logan Circle on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The entire area was roped off, and to get in, you had to go through a huge security checkpoint complete with baggage search, metal detectors, and the Secret Service. When I say security was tight, I mean it was tight. My friend even got her water bottle confiscated all because it wasn’t clear-colored. Despite getting there at 10 AM, four hours before the parade was anticipated to start, the line to get through security took literally forever. We later found out that the line eventually got so long, most people never even made it into the park in time for the closing of the Mass.
Once inside, it was clear that if we wanted a good view for the parade, we had to grab a spot right away, despite having four hours to kill. We split up, with half of us going to get food while the other half held down the fort. Our spot was amazing, and there was no way we were giving it up. Thank goodness we kept our spot, because by noon, the circle was almost full to capacity. Thousands upon thousands of families, church groups, and students from around the world lined the circle, all anxious to get even a glimpse of Pope Francis. One group of people even walked eight days, one hundred miles just to be there. The energy and display of faith was amazing, and I’m so glad I got to be part of it.
After three hours of standing and waiting, the Pope-mobile finally made an appearance. He went around the loop at Logan Circle, smiling and waving toward the crowd. Obviously, everyone was screaming, cheering, waving, and even tearing up. It was a once in a lifetime experience, and some had travelled thousands of miles all for this one moment, this one glimpse of Pope Francis.
Photo courtesy of Nicole Zero
Afterwards, Pope Francis presided over a huge outdoor mass. The mass included many languages like English, Spanish, and even Vietnamese, so everyone could enjoy it. The mass was beautiful, with a huge choir, and jumbo screens were everywhere so nobody missed out. I stood and participated in the biggest mass I’ll ever attend, presided by one of the most important person on earth, with amazing people from all over the world. If that isn’t a great experience, I don’t know what is.
After mass, my friends and I rushed out of Logan Circle. Though we loved being near the Pope, with thousands of people also leaving, we knew things were going to get really chaotic, really fast. On the way out, many of the people still standing in the security line stopped us to ask how it was. While it was amazing to relive the mass for them, my heart broke, knowing all these people had travelled all this way, and missed out on what they came to see.
However, our day did not end on a low note! My friend saw her water bottle sitting under the security tent, and after a little bit of pleading, the Secret Service let her take it back. Feeling lucky about the water bottle and hungry from a long day of standing, we figured we could treat ourselves to some seriously amazing Philly cheese steaks from Steve’s Prince of Steaks, a 50’s style sandwich shop. I mean, come on, you can’t go to Philadelphia and not get one of these!
We somehow managed to find our back to the subway station and our bus, despite the huge, chaotic crowds. The bus ride back was long, but we were all so exhausted, it was easy to sleep through. I will always be so grateful for this opportunity to have seen Pope Francis. It’s not too often that the pope comes to America, and I got to be mere feet from one of history’s most celebrated popes and hear him give the most beautiful mass I have ever witnessed. Pope Francis truly is such a gracious pope who cares for his people so much, and just the sight of him made me feel closer to my faith than ever before. It was a once in a lifetime experience, one I will never forget, and I’m so glad I got to do it with my belles by my side.