Day 1

The instant my wife, Stacey, and I learned that the World Meeting of Families was coming to Philadelphia, we decided to attend with our three children. We both had moving experiences at World Youth Days, and because the World Meeting of Families is essentially the same kind of gathering for families, we had great hopes for this event in the spiritual life of our family. 

Since it was founded by 1994 by Pope St. John Paul II, the World Meeting of Families is held every three years and is the world’s largest Catholic gathering of families. Because this year’s gathering in Philadelphia is the largest World Meeting of Families in history (18,000 are registered), this could be the largest gathering of Catholic families ever. We just didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

This event is the origin of Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S.—he is making other stops in Washington, D.C., and New York, but his trip culminates with an appearance in Philadelphia this weekend at a family festival on Saturday and a huge papal Mass on Sunday. 

My own experience of World Youth Day profoundly shaped my understanding and relationship with the universal Church—simply being in the same space with thousands (even millions) of Catholics from around the world changed how I think about being Catholic. I hope this World Meeting of Families does the same for our children. 

This year’s gathering has brought together people from more than 100 countries. The opening Mass, for example, was a great example of the unity in the worldwide body of Christ–we sat in front of three people from Ireland and behind a group from Guatemala. The kids have their own break-out sessions, and already they have met other children from Texas, Louisiana, Argentina, and Brazil. 

The most moving part of the day today occurred during our visit to Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Philadelphia. We went to Confession as a family—we were not planning to do this, but several confessionals were open and empty, so we stopped in. Then we encountered a moving prayer exhibit dedicated to Mary under one of Pope Francis’ favorite titles: Our Lady, Untier of Knots. 

The exhibit was in a courtyard outside of the cathedral, and as we approached, we were handed a long strip of white cloth. We wrote a prayer intention on the cloth, then tied it to a wall full of other strips. Then, we untied someone else’s prayer intention from that staging area, and tied it to a large enclosure.

The prayer I untied and carried was from a woman who asked that she have more time together with someone named Michael. It was moving to “untie” this prayer and to carry it with me—it felt like I was participating in Mary’s intercession for us in difficult situations. 

The cathedral also held a unique collection of special relics. A relic fromPope St. John Paul II was on display, as was the wedding dress worn by Saint Gianna Beretta Molla—both of these saints are patrons of the World Meeting. In addition, a special display held the relics of St. Therese the Little Flower along with relics from both of her parents—one of the greatest families the Church has ever known. 

I was a little nervous heading into today—part of it was just the fear of the unknown for an introvert like me. As we were filling out paperwork during registration, however, I was put at ease by a mother next to me. We were writing on small tables, and her son was fidgety by her side. “Mackenzie! Stop wobbling the table,” she quietly barked. Then, remembering she was at the World Meeting of Families, she added, “Please.”

It was a humorous reminder to me that family life looks the same wherever you are—raising children taxes patience and being generous to a spouse is not always easy. But we are all here doing our best. It feels good to be among so many other Catholics walking the same road we are on.

Day 2

We began the day with Mass once again, and today I noticed that we were praying with Catholics from Puerto Rico, Green Bay, Mexico, France, Vietnam, and Argentina. A large family from Bangladesh asked me to take their photo, and I was happy to help. 

Our kids met children from Texas, Uruguay, and California today, and were full of stories about the things they built in their sessions. They came back with a shield of faith and a crown of love. 

The daily Masses of the event are scheduled to start after the children’s session begins each morning, which struck us as odd. So we decided to keep our kids with us for Mass and to drop them off afterwards. We were very pleased to see that a great many other families did the same thing—it made us feel good to know that we are among Catholic parents who know what is right for their family and are not afraid to act on it.

Family life abounds at this World Meeting, and rightly so. I saw a woman changing a diaper on the floor in a hallway as her toddler children had a water fight at the water fountain nearby. There are lots of kids in strollers and on shoulders, children crying and laughing, snack containers and juice cups. 

Two refrains recur in many of the talks I’ve heard so far, and they offer a solid theological grounding for family life. First, the Trinity: God is a communion of persons; we are created with this likeness; therefore, we are created for love and relationship, which is most fully realized in family life. Second, the Book of Genesis: speakers find in it a rich set of images to proclaim what is true about who we are and how God made us for one another. 

I went to a workshop on planning for financial security for the family. I found it boring, which is kind of the point, I guess—invest for the long-haul, keep things predictable, budget so that you spend less than you earn. These are the fundamentals, but it was good to hear them again. 

Marriage and family life experts Greg and Lisa Popcak spoke about the five marks of a Catholic family: they worship together; they pray together; they have intimate conversations; they prioritize family above other activities; they serve together. They also recommended that families build in time every day to do four things together: play, pray, work, and talk. 

The Popcaks spoke about building a mantra into family life by asking one another, “What can I do for you today?”—a simple question that points us to actions of service for one another. Most helpful was their repetition of Pope Francis’ advice to parents who want to raise a holy family and evangelize the world: waste time with your kids.

Helen Alvare, law professor at George Mason University and consultor to the Pontifical Council on the Laity, gave a rousing presentation that demonstrated how God situated the family as the place where human love is forged. “When you live elbow to elbow in the same household, there are relentless opportunities to learn how to love,” she said. 

We are living elbow to elbow here at this conference, for sure. Some parts of the convention center clog up with foot traffic when general sessions end. I don’t anticipate this to improve with the 1.5 million people who will be coming to see the pope this weekend, but they’ll know we are Christians by our love, right?

We ended the day with a visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which houses a stunning collection. (Yes, we ran up the steps like Rocky and shuffled our feet with our hands in the air!) We saw Van Gogh’s famous sunflowers and introduced the children to Monet. They were exhausted, but it was a great stop. 

Finally, at the end of a long day with a sleeping family behind me in our hotel room, I am reminded that we are here as pilgrims. We pack peanut-butter and jelly lunches and walk long distances (my phone logged more than 8 miles today). Our room is starting to smell a little from the sweaty socks. We all have our moments of frustration and discomfort, but it is enriching to be on the same journey together, and I am hopeful we will return more seasoned in the faith.

Day 3

Today’s encounter with the universal Church: our children hung out with other kids from Brazil, Canada, and other states from the U.S. The faithful from Mexico are easy to spot with their matching vests; a number of them carry the Mexican flag around during breaks. They all gathered for this photo after the afternoon keynote. 

As the week wears on, we are entering more deeply into the experience of pilgrimage. We ran out of peanut butter and band-aids today, for example. My daughter, who is in third grade, has blisters on both feet, but she’s being a trooper.

Pilgrimages grow faith because they involve the body—it is setting out on a journey, putting feet on the road, and seeking a deeper connection to God and others. That is certainly happening for us—our main goal in this experience was to spend time together encountering the Church. Our time has not been without its share of meltdowns and angst—what family travels perfectly?—but I’m convinced we’ll be returning with good memories and a recommitment to one another.

Before each keynote address, the sizable crowd is brought to attention through a segment from one of these Humanum videos on marriage and family life. They are extraordinarily well-produced. You can find an assortment here—a family could do worse than to watch one of these every Sunday for a month or two. We will be returning to them ourselves.

Looking back, it is easy to see the diversity of the Church on display in the keynote speakers. We heard from bishops from America and Nigeria, a lay couple from Panama, even an Evangelical pastor. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle gave a keynote address today that showed why he is so popular with his people of the Philippines and with the media.

He spoke about woundedness in the Church: “Jesus did not save us from our woundedness—he saves us in our woundedness… Christ heals by being wounded—he knows our wounds and transforms our wounds into resurrected life.”

Cardinal Tagle used the Gospel story of the paralytic man who could not be brought to Jesus because of the crowds, so his friends lowered him through the roof. “The Church is a home for wounded hearts,” he said. “This is the family, this is the parish, this is the diocese, this is the Church—we say, ‘I won’t give up on you!’”

As at any Catholic gathering, there were open seats in the front row, so we sat right in front of the side of the room where the speakers come and go from backstage. Cardinal Tagle was whisked away after his talk, but a small crowd jogged to catch him before he disappeared backstage—at one point, he was surrounded by 50 or more. The strong Philippino contingent here is obviously very proud of him—I sat next to a Philippino man in his 50s who was wiping his eyes at several points of the talk.

Finally, there is no doubt that this World Meeting of Families is looking ahead towards its culminating event—the arrival of Pope Francis on Saturday. Locals are fleeing the city because a 2-mile swath of downtown will shut down from Friday noon through Sunday night—no vehicles in or out. Cab drivers are in a tough spot—they won’t be able to take anyone anywhere, so the ones I spoke with are taking the weekend off (even though they can’t afford to).

We took the kids to a children’s museum today—the Franklin Institute (where we saw this amazing Lego build of St. Peter’s)—and saw some of the instruments Ben Franklin used to study electricity. At this museum as well as at the art museum we visited yesterday, staff commented on how empty everything was—people are just hunkering down or leaving town.

We have to move to a different hotel—we are staying right next to city hall, next door to the convention center where all the talks are given, but have to move tomorrow by noon to another hotel about 5 miles out. We’re not sure how we will be getting in and out to the events on Saturday from that far out with no car—it will be an adventure.

No doubt we are making room for dignitaries and necessary personnel in this hotel. I met two of them today in the elevator—they were undeniably military; one was carrying a steel case, and I don’t think he was carrying poker chips. I thanked one of them for being here, and he said that he hoped they wouldn’t be needed.

Sidewalk hawkers are also sprouting up everywhere—selling bad t-shirts, papal flags, chimes, anything that can carry an image of Pope Francis. Bag-pipers are playing on the sidewalk to gather attention for some petition. It is turning into a zoo.

Barricades are sprouting up all over the central portion of the city, and there are more police than you can shake a stick at. Set up crews are zipping around on ATVs, and every block has a deposit of a dozen pallets full of water bottles. Whole parking lots are filled with port-o-potties, helicopters are constantly hovering.

The official events of the World Meeting end tomorrow at noon. We will be moving to our new hotel (if we don’t get the car out by noon, it will be stuck here until Monday morning), resting up, and figuring out how to get in and out of the city for Saturday. (We can’t stay for the papal Mass on Sunday because it is at 4 p.m., and would not leave enough time for the drive home to South Bend; we ran into a family from Houston today who were in the same boat—can’t afford to have the kids out of school any longer.)

Saturday will hold a festival of families—a gathering of food and song and entertainment. Mark Wahlberg will emcee, and acts will include Jim Gaffigan, Aretha Franklin, Andrea Bocelli, among others. The pope will drive through the crowd in a parade, and will address everyone at some point. This will be the high point, no doubt.

Days 4 and 5

Friday of the World Meeting of Families for us was a transition day. We were staying in a hotel downtown, but the rooms were not guaranteed through the weekend with the pope’s arrival. So, we had to move to a different hotel on the northwest side of town, and we had to do it by noon, or else our car would have been stuck in the vehicle exclusion zone until Monday morning.

We ducked out of the conference a little early—after Mass with Argentinians, Texans, and Haitians—and packed up. We made a stop in south Philly for a cheese steak at Pat’s King of Steaks

(whiz wit’) and settled in to our new location. After three days on the go, it was a good break to take it easy for an afternoon.

Saturday morning we took it slow, knowing that we had a big evening and night coming up with the Festival of Families on the Benjamin Franklin parkway. We left the hotel at noon by cab, which was able to drive us to within a mile of an entrance checkpoint to the festival area.

Walking through the checkpoints was just like going through a security screening at the airport—in fact, they had brought in TSA agents to do the screening. National Guardsmen stood watch at barricades at every intersection. We arrived at the parkway just before 1 p.m., and there was a steady stream of people walking up and down the road. It was a Catholic parade—nuns and priests and families everywhere.

The pope was to speak at Independence Hall at 4:45, and then arrive at the festival at 7:30ish, so we had some time to wait. We found a spot inside the parkway’s large median area and set down a blanket. We passed the time playing Frisbee for a while—a Philadelphia boy who lived nearby joined us, as did two brothers from India. We played Uno and gin rummy. We even streamed the first half of the Notre Dame football game and adopted everyone around us as Irish fans.

After a time, we walked around a bit, just to see the people and the sights. One of the stages had local community choirs and dancers performing. Giant jumbo-trons were erected every 100 yards, so even though we were not near either of the two main stages, we could see and hear what was going on.

At one point, I had to step around a priest who had just sat down on a small canvas portable stool and donned a thin purple stole. He was speaking with an older lady and began hearing her confession—right in the middle of the Ben Franklin Parkway. A line quickly formed behind her.

The roadway surrounding the parkway was sealed off by barricades and police—you could cross at select points, but this was the route the popemobile would take, so they were keeping it clear. People lined the barricades 4 or 5 people deep for three to four hours before the pope was even close to arriving. Most had no idea of what the schedule was, and they expected the pope to come by at any moment. Periodically, police cars and motorcycles would drive by to test the openness of the parkway, and everyone would get excited and think the pope was near. They still had hours to wait.

Meanwhile, the entertainment was getting better—we heard from a famous opera singer and comedian Jim Gaffigan. I thought it would not have been inappropriate for the organizers to stream the Notre Dame vs. UMass game, but that’s just me, apparently. The 50 Angolans sitting next to us probably would not have understood it.

It was getting dark when Pope Francis finally came around—he had 1.5 miles to go each way to get down the parkway and back again, so he was traveling at a good clip—much faster than I had seen him move through crowds on video. He did not stop to greet anyone. A phalanx of police motorcycles, lights blazing, preceded him, as did a giant garbage truck—I assume this was a security measure to make sure his way did not get blocked.

He passed by the opposite side of the parkway from us on his first pass, and a glow of flashing cameras and cheers surrounded him. We gathered as near the barricade on our side of the parkway as we could, kids on shoulders, waiting for him to return. Finally, as he did, hundreds of hands went up, each holding a phone or camera. Flashes and cheers—the kids waved eagerly. It was 10 seconds of very high excitement.

Every single person near us was glad to have seen him and were talking about the moment. It struck me that this was the pope acting in his fullest, even without any words or specific gestures—people were responding to him just because of who he was and what he represented. As the successor of St. Peter, he is the head of the universal Church, and as such he unifies the Church. We were all one body, greeting him with the joy that is at the heart of the Gospel.

He reached the main stage around 8 p.m., with more entertainment and stories to follow. Mark Wahlberg served as emcee and a number of families from around the world greeted Pope Francis and shared their stories of challenge and consolation.

By this point, though, our family was spent—we had tired kids on our hands, and the evening was not going to be done for another two hours. We decided to head back to the hotel and watch from there. We had a modest walk, and were able to call our taxi to pick us up.

From our hotel room, after bathing and settling in to bed, we all watched Pope Francis address the crowds. He shared wisdom from our faith about the family: God dignified the family by placing Jesus in one. Jesus could have been sent to a city or another institution, but he was sent to a family. The pope also went to lengths to acknowledge the difficulties families face, but affirmed that only love has the power to overcome those difficulties.

We drove home Sunday morning, all tuckered out, and listened to the papal Mass in the car. (If we were to stay for it, we would have had to drive through the night to get back to South Bend in time for the kids to be in school. Frankly, we’re all relieved we don’t have to swim through the crowds for another day.) One line touched me from Pope Francis’ homily—it resonated with our experience throughout the whole pilgrimage: “Faith grows when it is lived and shaped by love. That is why our families, our homes, are true domestic churches. They are the right place for faith to become life, and life to become faith.”

We conclude our pilgrimage with great hope and a renewed commitment to one another. Both Stacey and I are very grateful to have been able to make the trip with our three children, and we consider it a worthwhile adventure—one that will shape our family’s memories and spirituality for years to come.