The bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock on Saturday greeted Arkansans who will travel to see Pope Francis, praying for and blessing the voyagers as they prepare for their journey.
The Most Rev. Anthony Taylor told a group of about 30 Catholics outside diocesan headquarters that papal Masses in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., "will be a place of encounter with the Lord Jesus and a place of encounter with the Holy Father."
He stressed the spiritual nature of their trip.
"You all are preparing to go on a pilgrimage. You are not tourists," said Taylor, after sprinkling holy water on prayer cards bearing a photo of Pope Francis on one side and a "Prayer for Travelers" on the other.
A pilgrimage, Taylor said, "is a journey with the Lord. And in a pilgrimage, the journey is as important as the destination."
Francis, an Argentinian who has not visited the United States, arrives in the capital Sept. 22.
North Little Rock's Immaculate Conception parish plans to send three busloads of people to the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. Christ the King in Fort Smith has chartered two buses; Springdale's St. Raphael is taking one.
Altogether, 267 people from Arkansas have signed up to make the trip by bus, arriving in time for papal appearances Sept. 26 and 27. Many others will drive themselves or fly.
Many of the travelers will be members of church youth groups, but retirees are traveling as well. A few will bypass Pennsylvania and see Pope Francis in Washington, D.C., instead, attending a Mass of Canonization for a newly declared saint.
Diocesan officials said they're unaware of any Arkansans who will travel to New York City for a Mass at Madison Square Garden.
Saturday, Taylor told the crowd about Santiago de Compostela, a site in northern Spain that has attracted millions over the past 1,000 years. Many of them walked on foot for weeks to reach their destination.
Traveling by bus for 24 hours for the pope's visit to the U.S. would be "not nearly as arduous," he said.
Those who head east should pray and go to confession first, the bishop said.
Nita Danaher, 60, a North Little Rock resident who attends St. Edward parish in Little Rock, was among those at Taylor's blessing.
As an events coordinator at Verizon Arena, Danaher said she works with crowds as large as 18,000 people. But she's never had to organize an event as big as the gathering in Philadelphia, where as many as 1.5 million people are expected.
Given the size of the crowd and the level of security, "there will be many delays. We will stand in line and wait and wait," she predicted. But she made clear that she's looking forward to welcoming the pope to the United States.
"I think he's coming at the right time. He's just so open to the needs of the people. God's grace shows through him," she said.
Christie Powell, the youth director at Immaculate Conception parish in North Little Rock, also was present Saturday. She said her group doesn't have tickets for the events, so the travelers probably will be a long, long way from the pope.
"We may just see him on a Jumbotron, but we're there. We're part of history," she said.
The church's first pontiff from Latin America really connects with people, she said.
"This one is so personable and everybody loves him -- whether you're Catholic or not," she said. "He's in the newsstands. He's on the magazine covers."
Metro on 09/13/2015