The pinnacle of our week came Sunday afternoon, with the public Papal Mass on the streets of Philadelphia. No one could have prepared us for the sheer magnitude of such an event. Father John and Deacon Forrest were blessed to met up with the thousands of priests and deacons early in the morning so they could be bused to the Philadelphia Art Museum so they could concelebrate and serve the Mass. The rest of our group left the hotel at 10 AM for the 4 PM Mass, but the massive amount of people and “interesting” security procedures made for a patience-filled day. While we did make it in time for the Mass, unlike the thousands of people still outside the security gates, our VIP’s (Father John was able to secure several seats in the VIP section for the ladies that traveled with us through is Vatican connection) were unable to get to their location since it had been closed down. Instead, they enjoyed the beauty and serenity of the Mass from a regular vantage point.
Pope Francis reminded us all in his Homily that we are all doing good in God’s name and so we are all a family. With small gestures, we show our love for each other and make the world a better place together, so he asked us to be kind and generous. Our group certainly became a family over this past week and we are looking forward to bringing the passion, collaboration, and sheer joy of the World Meeting of Families back to Saint John to continue to renew our Parish Family and our Mission!
