Mass with the pope and 1 million of his closest friends

Each day that the archdiocese's pilgrimage group to the World Meeting of Families has spent in Philadelphia has involved lots of things: worshiping at Mass, hearing keynote addresses, attending breakout sessions and visiting historic sites in Philadelphia. We sometimes caught ourselves coming and going as busy as the days often were.

Today was about one thing: the closing Mass of the World Meeting of Families with Pope Francis. Although the Mass started at 4 p.m., the Moster family of St. Louis Parish in Batesville and I got to our place along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway around 8:30. I'd say we were about a quarter of a mile from the altar but really couldn't see it (except on a Jumbotron screen) because of temporary bleachers in front of it. Other archdiocesan pilgrims arrived a couple of hours earlier and had a view of the altar.

The size of the crowd gathered for the Mass was much larger than that for the Festival of Families the night before and gathered much earlier.  Pope Francis arrived some time after 3 p.m. and rode in a popemobile up and down the parkway.  As he went by, you could hear the crowd roar.  And, unlike last night, he frequently stopped to kiss and bless babies.

One stop that he made that we saw on a Jumbotron (and that Deacon Pat Bower of St. Barnabas Parish in Indianapolis saw in person) was particularly moving. When he came to the Basilica Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, he got out of the popemobile to visit the makeshift shrine to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, a favorite devotion of his. Many archdiocesan pilgrims had included their intentions there with thousands of others. So, it was touching to know that the pope offered those intentions to Jesus through Mary along with us.

Not long afterwards, he came by the place on the parkway where the Moster family and I were situated. The crush of people trying to make their way to the barrier was pretty intense. But it passed as soon as the popemobile did.

Mass began not long afterwards.  It was beautiful to see everyone focusing on the jumbotron and taking part in the worship, many kneeling when we kneel, standing when we stand, sitting when we sit.

Pope Francis offered a touching message during his homily, encouraging families to show their love for each other and other people in small, everyday ways.  It was thankfully a message that I had seen embodied for hours before the Mass as I saw families crowded around us caring for each other, getting to know their neighbors and helping other people in need.

I also saw it in a touching way during the Rite of Communion. Scores of priests with guides holding umbrellas of yellow and white (the colors of the flag of Vatican City) made their way down the parkway. As a priest came to where the Moster family and I were at, the crush of people was probably greater--and definitely more sustained--than when the pope had come by.

But it was beautiful to see how people who had received Communion were very deliberate about making way for people who had not yet received. And it was equally touching to see how so many priests made their way to where we were to help out after they had distributed Communion elsewhere. With the goodwill of the congregation and the help of the priests, it did not take long for Communion to be distributed to so many people, perhaps no more than 15 or 20 minutes.

It was then profound to see this large congregation become silent when invited to do so after the Rite of Communion. It may be hard to imagine how attending Mass in such a mass of people could be prayerful, but it really was.  Worshiping with the pope and so many other families from around the world was a fitting way to end the World Meeting of Families.

Now we have the mission of spreading the grace we've received this week in our homes and throughout central and southern Indiana. That will start with a long bus ride tomorrow.  Please pray for a safe ride for all of us.