World Meeting of Families, Pope Francis, Philadelphia and Mashed Potatoes (Day 2)

     Excitement was in the early morning air as the lobby of the Hampton was flooded with pilgrims heading to the World Meeting of Families with the hope of catching a glimpse of our Holy Father Pope Francis.

     We loaded on the bus at 9am and headed for downtown Philadelphia. On the drive in, I read the Scripture readings for the day. The verse that caught my attention was Luke 9:43 "Pay attention to what I am telling you". I prayed for the grace to be able to do that this weekend.

                                                           Waiting in the parking lot!


     The bus parked at the A T &T complex. It was a bit confusing and we spent quite a bit of time waiting for the guides to figure things out. It ended up one of the dads took the initiative to have us count off and get us moving in the right direction. After a bit more confusion we were able to get our train passes and start making our way in. They asked us to stay as a group to get on the subway, in line for security, and then into the area that was secured off. They made a plan for the end of the day to meet back at the bus 9:30. At that point we decided to venture off on our own. It was a bit frustrating that the guides were not better prepared and more knowledgeable about the event. We were also disappointed to learn that we would not be getting the tickets to get into the area where most of the big things were happening. None of this dampened our excitement though and we made our way onto the streets of downtown Philadelphia.

Our view after coming out of the subway station~City Hall of Philadelphia

This smiling face was everywhere in Philadelphia!

By this time it was lunchtime and in the area where we entered were some vendors so we bought some lunch and sat by a fountain and ate. I had a Caesar Salad with grilled chicken. It was quite tasty. We looked at our map and decided to make our way up to the Cathedral, the farthest point we could get without a ticket.

At this point it was more of a crowd scene and many people had staked out there spots along the barricades for the Papal Parade that evening. After some maneuvering we made our way as close to the Cathedral as we could get.  I don't think anyone could get in the Cathedral at this point ticket or not. Prior to leaving on the trip I had heard that a Shrine had been set up to Our Lady Undoer of Knots and that one could write their petition on a ribbon and tie it on to the Shrine. I had to spiritually add my intention  as we could not get close to it. My petition for this weekend was for all families, especially my own family and the Reinharts to grow in our love for Christ and each other.

Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul

 Petitions at Our Lady Undoer of Knots

     At this point we had a decision to make. Where should we be to watch the Papal Parade? After a little discussion it was decided to head back toward City Hall so after the parade the subway station would be a little closer. We found a great spot on a raised area behind the sidewalk. There were not many people, we were up a bit so it gave us a better vantage point, there was a jumbotron TV that we could watch the events on, and there were fountains that Little D could play in. As of about 4:30 the waiting began. I had decided to pray all of Mysteries of the Rosary within the day so I had some time to wrap up the Glorious Mysteries while we waited. I have to admit as the clock ticked on we all became a little worn down. The little lights in the trees and streetlights came on and still no Pope. Occasionally we would hear a bit of cheering but all of the sudden it was obvious he was close. Then the lights of police motorcycles, the cheers, and the Popemobile turned the corner! All the times I have seen the Popemobile on TV it has been slowly cruising down the road with the Pope waving and occasionally greeting someone personally or blessing a baby. Not this night. There were no secret service men running along side...they couldn't have kept up. It happened so fast. I got 3 pictures...the first and last were a blur...the second....you can tell it's the Pope. After he went by I realized he would be coming around the corner so  I ran over and there was a place to stand and I was able to watch him go by a second time.

Sitting and waiting for the Papal Parade.

                                                        Middle D passing the time!

                                                    Little D playing in the fountains.

                 We had to stuff her shoes with newspapers  to dry them out that night
                                                     ...a trick from the girls soccer days

                                                       Still waiting for the Pope!


                                          The Pope...
                                                            on the big screen

                                                             and in person!

                                                              

                                 Last look of City Hall and downtown Philadelphia for the day!
   and still...one more day ahead of us : ) and that's when the mashed potatoes come into the story!