Winthrop student’s trip to see Pope Francis ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’

I never imagined myself standing in a sea of people on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, climbing up scaffolding to get a perfect photo of the crowd, or walking down streets of Philadelphia with military security on every corner.

But I was able to watch history unfold last week as Pope Francis celebrated Mass in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in downtown.

Though organizers of the World Meeting of Families predicted up to 1 million people would attend the Mass and other special events, only about half of the predicted crowd showed up, according to media reports in Philadelphia last week.

All of the hype leading up to Pope Francis’ visit could have possibly scared away some Philadelphia residents – many of whom headed to the Jersey shore for the weekend. On Saturday morning, I heard women at Cuz’n Company Salon in Drexel Hill, Penn., chatting about their lack of interest in the event, even though many of them had free tickets.

Many hotels, restaurants, schools and stores were closed for the weekend. During my two-mile hike from the train station into Philadelphia’s center city, it was evident the crowd was not nearly as large as most people expected.

The outer streets of the city were desolate. Hundreds of empty portable toilets were lined along bridges on Walnut Street and Chestnut Street.

Security measures, though, seemed to go above and beyond for the special occasion. Military vehicles and soldiers and police officers were on every corner, directing pedestrians and searching people at multiple security checkpoints.

The only ways to enter the city were by bike, on foot and by one of the 18 city-owned trains. The city reportedly prepared for nearly 328,000 train ticket sales, but only 34,371 people boarded the trains, according to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority officials.

Later in the day, large groups of people and parishes flowed into the city. Even with only half the people who had been expected, it still felt like a million people to this small-town girl.

Buttons, hats, posters and T-shirts – all adorned with Pope Francis’ face – were spewed across the crowded city streets.

In some lines, multiple blocks long, groups of pilgrims chanted, played instruments and sang cheerful music to pass the four-hour wait – all in hopes of getting just a few feet closer to the Mass.

To my surprise, there were dozens of protesters with megaphones, carrying signs that read, “The Pope is an Anti-Christ” and “Call no man ‘Father.’”

Even more surprising, the crowd did not argue or fight the protesters. Instead, they sang and played their music of praise even louder and smiled even bigger.

One man playing a set of bagpipes walked with a protester, attempting to drown out the controversy.

Once the Mass began, the protesters left and the crowd grew anxious. There were people climbing light poles, small children sitting atop their parents’ shoulders, and photographers – including myself – hanging off the side of scaffolding, trying to get a better view of Pope Francis.

Among hundreds of thousands of people, I didn’t have the best view and I wasn’t in the ticketed area. But I believe I had a better and more raw experience.

I witnessed the protesters, stood in the long lines with church groups and spoke with local residents at Con Murphy’s Irish Pub on 17th Street. If I had been sitting with the dignitaries or bishops in the front row, I would have experienced only what I could have watched on TV in Rock Hill.

I experienced more in 10 hours than I have in 10 years.

The unity and kindness that swept over the mass of people was palpable. My trip to Philadelphia was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a story I will continue to share for years to come.

This story was originally published October 3, 2015 at 8:25 PM with the headline "Winthrop student’s trip to see Pope Francis ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’."