Following a curve ball at the beginning of its trip, a large contingent from the Southern Tier experienced the equivalent of a home run by attending the closing Mass of Pope Francis’ five-day stay in the United States.
Three busloads representing Ithaca and surrounding communities were on hand in Philadelphia Sept. 27, joining hundreds of thousands of other pilgrims for a once-in-a-lifetime event.
The memories were abundant for Laura Cleveland of Ithaca’s Immaculate Conception Parish, who was joined by husband, David, and 17-year-old twin sons, Joseph and Kelly. Among her highlights were seeing a group of people with guitars singing in Spanish as they danced in the street en route to the pope’s pre-Mass parade; Pope Francis waving in her family’s direction right after they got through a security checkpoint; children climbing on trees to get a better glimpse of the pope; and hundreds of priests and nuns with yellow-and-white umbrellas serving holy Communion.
"The whole day seemed like a dream," Cleveland commented, saying her time in Philadelphia was "full of positive energy, from the excited crowd, to the friendly police and everyone worshiping together throughout Mass."
Ashley Blank, faith-formation coordinator at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Ithaca, was struck by the quick camaraderie that developed among strangers thanks to the pope’s presence.
"People along the streets would come out of their houses and watch, smile and videotape. People driving cars honked horns and would wave. Everyone would cheer," she said.
Blank ended up three blocks from where the papal Mass took place, at one point seeing Pope Francis from a block away. Among the people she met were a family with eight children from Maryland; and another family with four young children — all with cerebral palsy and in wheelchairs, including a set of triplets — from New Jersey. Blank noted that those parents were hoping Pope Francis would bless their children, so she helped clear some space so they could get closer.
"We all became like a little community and took care of each other," Blank said of the crowd members.
Photo courtesy of Patrick Brennan
Members of the youth group from Holy Cross in Dryden and their families pose for a photo after arriving in Philadelphia Sept. 27 to attend the World Meeting of Families’ concluding Mass, which was celebrated by Pope Francis.
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Ann Marie Eckert, an organizer of the Ithaca contingent, said a few of those pilgrims stood behind the family of a baby whom the pope kissed — meaning his motorcade was stopped in front of them for an extended time — and another man told her he had been spiritually renewed.
"It seemed like he had a powerful experience of belonging to something bigger than himself," said Eckert, who serves as pastoral associate at St. Catherine of Siena.
After the Mass ended all from the group returned to their buses and left town without incident, with the last bus reaching Ithaca at 3 a.m.
In fact, the only apparent glitch on the trip occurred before it even began.
Travelers had assembled in Ithaca at 6 a.m. on Sunday to board four charter buses, with plans to arrive in Philadelphia around noon for the 4 p.m. Mass. However, only one bus arrived on time. Two others were two-and-half hours late, and the fourth bus didn’t show up at all — forcing the delicate process of organizers asking who wouldn’t mind giving up their seats.
In the end "it seemed that everyone who really wanted to go was able to get on a bus," Eckert said, noting that some Cornell University students opted instead to drive to Philadelphia. She added that the two late-running buses got to Philadelphia around 2:30 p.m. and all still made it on time for Mass — whether that meant settling inside the security zone, along the parade route or near one of the many Jumbotrons that had been erected.
Despite the bus mishap — not to mention the substantial traveling, walking and standing that the day involved — those who did make the trip from Tompkins County ended up highly fulfilled.
"The best part of the day for me was welcoming people back to the buses (before returning home) and hearing about their experiences," Eckert said. "To a person, they had a great experience."
Pat Ober, who attends both Immaculate Conception and St. Catherine of Siena, tied in the pope’s highly successful appearance with the lunar eclipse that occurred that night as she and the other bus travelers were on their way back to Ithaca.
"In the cosmic world of events, I do believe the eclipse and Pope Francis helping to shed the Light of the World are not coincidental," Ober stated, citing John 1:5: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
