With Pope Francis on tour in the United States, many Roman Catholic Canadians are undertaking mini-pilgrimages south of the border to catch a glimpse of the pontiff while he's relatively close to home.
They're packing into buses, co-ordinating car pools and flocking to Philadelphia to see the Pope during his planned weekend visit to the city.
Oriana Bertucci, director of Ryerson University's Campus Catholic Ministry, says she's heading to Philadelphia with a larger group in the hopes she’ll catch a glimpse of the Pope on Sunday, during his World Meeting of Families parade.
"Rome's a long way away, so instead of getting on a plane for eight hours, we decided to get into a car and road-trip down to Philly for the historic event," she told CTV's Canada AM by phone on Friday.
Bertucci says her goal is to stake out a good spot along the Pope's parade route. "Hopefully in the parade, Pope Francis will come by in the Popemobile and hopefully stop in front of us," she said.
The Pope has been a busy man since he arrived in the United States on Tuesday. He's met with President Barack Obama, delivered a speech to the U.S. Congress and visited with several top members of the U.S. clergy. He's also slated to address the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.
But he'll turn his attention to his Roman Catholic flock this weekend, when he heads to Philadelphia for Saturday and Sunday, before returning to Rome.
Bertucci says the Pope is a down-to-earth figure who makes the Roman Catholic Church's teachings feel accessible to the faithful. "He's authentic, he's approachable and he's relatable," Bertucci said. "There's a lot of enthusiasm and energy about him, and we're just excited to be around that."
She adds that social media has made it much easier to feel connected to the pontiff by making it possible for Roman Catholics from around the world to connect with him.
"We have access to him. We get to see and hear him every day," she said. "It's clear that he radiates joy and he loves people."
Bertucci will be praying for a little luck when she gets to Philadelphia this weekend, where she hopes to get a chance to witness the Pope's energy and enthusiasm firsthand.
"We're going to be lining up early," she said. "We are ready for rain or shine."
