Pope Francis in D.C.: Road trip, anyone?

By Cristina Cabrera Jarro -

WASHINGTON, D.C. | Maybe it was irony or maybe it was fate that a group of 46 pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Miami would be travelling to see Pope Francis in Washington, D.C. on a charter bus owned by a company called La Cubana.

The pope would be arriving from Cuba to the United States Sept. 22, and the archdiocesan pilgrims and their bus would symbolically continue to extend that bridge of Cuban and American relations during his “Love is Our Mission” tour of the U.S.

Before arriving at the capital, pilgrims endured over 20 hours on the bus. Their journey began the morning of Sept. 22, when they arrived at the Pastoral Center with suitcases, backpacks, folding chairs, pillows, and other means of comfort and entertainment for the journey ahead.

“I can’t wait to get there, to arrive. It’s going to be an exciting trip with a lot of emotions,” said Mercy Allen, a parishioner at St. Sebastian Church in Fort Lauderdale.

This would be Allen’s first time seeing Pope Francis, and her first time seeing any pope. In 2012 she went to Rome hoping to see Benedict XVI, but missed him because he was away on retreat.

“It’s going to be an honor and he’s going to be blessing many people because from what I’ve been seeing in the news, there’s going to be a lot of people coming. Newcomers from everywhere who are as excited as I am,” Allen said.

For Allen’s seat partner, Zully Maya, from Assumption Church in Pompano Beach, the trip meant seeing a pope for the fifth time. She traced her papal encounters as far back as Pius XII in 1958 and as recently as John Paul II in Venezuela. While Maya was excited to check off a fifth pope from her list, she hoped that others shared her emotions.

“I feel it in my heart, and truly, I hope that everyone feels it the same way that I have. And that he blesses us all and we learn from this trip that we can still make peace in the world,” Maya said. “The truth is that these recent times have not been easy to understand. Religion is very important and today we have to do more because every day it gets harder to coexist with one another. So let us try and do as the pope advises.”

Love and rosaries

With “Love is Our Mission” stamped on the back of their blue T-shirts, as well as on identification tags and other memorabilia, pilgrims were easily reminded of the purpose of the pope’s visit to the U.S. Spending a lot of time in prayer throughout the journey also reminded them that they were on a pilgrimage, not a tourist trip.

Rosa Argentina Vargas, a parishioner at Our Lady of Divine Providence in Miami and a member of Por La Sangre De Cristo (For the Blood of Christ) Mission, brought enough rosaries to distribute not only to her fellow pilgrims but to as many people as she could in D.C.

“It occurred to me, since my pastor always distributes rosaries, I asked him for rosaries to distribute, and he was thrilled,” Vargas said

The pilgrims prayed the rosary aboard the bus for the intentions of Pope Francis, his health and safety, as well as for a safe, speedy journey. Their all-night bus ride concluded around 4:30 a.m. Sept. 23, when they were dropped off near the Washington Monument to await the papal parade.

They were greeted by temperatures in the upper 60s � a chilly difference from the toasty upper 80s in Miami the day before.

Serbando Rodriguez and his wife, Emilia Ramos, from St. Joachim Parish in Miami, each wrapped themselves in a flag: Ramos in the American flag, and Rodriguez in an FC Miami (soccer club) flag.

“On the journey to see the pope we talked about how it was the first long trip we have taken together as husband and wife,” Ramos said. “We are so happy and blessed.”

“I feel fabulously great with this cold waiting for the Holy Father,” said Maria Guadalupe Marin, a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes in Miami, as she waited with other pilgrims along Constitution Avenue.

Because the archdiocesan group had reached their destination so early, they staked out a front row viewpoint for the papal parade.

“I hope to at least make eye contact and see him,” said Maria Elena Gurdian, a parishioner at Holy Rosary-St. Richard in Palmetto Bay who journeyed with her husband, Julio, and two daughters, Claudia and Maria Eugenia.

“I’m so happy to be here,” said Julio Gurdian. “Since I heard he was coming I wanted to come.”

Anxious hour

By 10 a.m., the security gates around the Ellipse had closed, and the 60 minutes that followed proved to be the most anxious for the pilgrims. A camera crew drove by in a truck. Dozens of officers began to evenly line the avenue, less than 10 feet apart from each other.

Then the crowd in front of the White House dispersed � a sight visible to the pilgrims � and the motorcade of police vehicles appeared, followed by the white Jeep Wrangler bearing Pope Francis.

When he turned onto Constitution Avenue and began traveling on the opposite side of the street, discouraged pilgrims began to grumble. But then the popemobile began to veer right, heading almost directly at the archdiocesan group.

People screamed and cheered, and began pushing forward to get a better view. As some of the pilgrims later described, Pope Francis has a way of looking directly at you no matter where you stand in the crowd.

“When I saw the pope pass by in his little popemobile right in front of me, my heart just felt so happy,” said Claudia Gurdian. “I teared up and I cried when he kissed a little baby from the crowd. Everyone around me was happy, including my parents. It was a good feeling.”

The moment lasted less than a minute, but seeing Pope Francis at a distance of less than 50 feet made all of the difference to those who had journeyed from so far.

Afterward, the pilgrims had free time to explore the city, venturing to the nearby monuments and museums. That afternoon they gathered in the National Mall to watch on huge screens as Pope Francis celebrated the Mass of canonization of St. Junipero Serra in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. 

The scenario of hundreds of pilgrims sitting outdoors, some on the grass and some under the shades of trees, paralleled that of pilgrims thousands of years ago who sat and listened to Jesus proclaim the Word of God.

‘Inspiring’ Serafina

The archdiocesan pilgrims awoke early again Sept. 24 to support Pope Francis in his address to Congress. With red tickets that gained them access to the West Lawn in front of the Capitol building, they settled in around 6 a.m., along with several hundred others.

Waiting for Pope Francis, some talked, while others took photos of the vibrant blues, pinks and purples of the dawn rising behind the Capitol dome.

One pilgrim, Serafina Gutierrez, 75, a native of Colombia whose daughter had made it possible for her to go on the pilgrimage, somehow became separated from the group. A brief moment of panic ensued when no one could find her. Eventually she called and said she had found a spot closer to the viewing screens in an area for the handicapped.

Roberto Aguirre, a pilgrim who works in the archdiocesan Tribunal, expressed amazement at Gutierrez’s determination.

“At her age, with a cane, walking, being on a bus for 20 hours, waiting after the bus for seven hours. She was happy to be there,” he said. “We thought she was lost, but no, for her, we were lost. She inspired us because if we think that we were the ones that sacrificed, she truly sacrificed. There were a lot of elderly with us that sacrificed.”

A friend from home

Incredibly, among the crowd of thousands, the pilgrims found Msgr. Terence Hogan, dean of the School of Theology and Ministry at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens and a native of Washington, D.C. He had arrived Sept. 22 for the festivities, catching a glimpse of Pope Francis several times with his family, and then catching up with seminarians from Miami who were at the basilica during the papal Mass.

Msgr. Hogan marveled at Pope Francis’ ability to unite people.

“The people here have just come together incredibly,” said Msgr. Hogan. “His spirit of just bringing people and the spirit of reconciliation, everything he talks about. Mercy has just motivated people here in this city and they’re so friendly and everybody is getting along.”

The gathered thousands on the Congressional lawn fell silent as Pope Francis began his speech to Congress with the iconic lines from the national anthem: “in the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

Three giant screens televised his address, where he spoke about fundamentalism, religious freedom, immigration, the defense of human life and the environment. He also and honored the memory of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton for their commitment to bringing much needed change to America.

Throughout his address, the Miami pilgrims carved out private moments to kneel in prayer, either for their own intentions or for those of Pope Francis. His greeting to them from House Speaker John Boehner’s balcony were a simple request: “I ask you all please to pray for me. And if there are those among you who do not believe or cannot pray, I ask you to please send good wishes my way.”

Before heading home, the Miami pilgrims embarked on one last mission: to see the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church in North America, and one of the top 10 largest churches in the world.

Not only did they see it, they also caught a glimpse of the image of Christ that had been used during the canonization Mass a day earlier. They ended their stay in D.C. by celebrating Mass in the Byzantine-Ruthenian chapel on the lower level of the basilica.

“It’s beautiful because today is the feast day of Our Lady of Mercy,” said Bishop Isern. “Through this beautiful pilgrimage, with many hours on that bus and hours standing and waiting, we have truly won the spirit of mercy.”

Bishop Isern takes the bus

WASHINGTON, D.C. | He could have flown in and sat among his fellow bishops. It would have been a much more comfortable way to travel and see Pope Francis in Washington, D.C.

But Bishop Fernando Isern, a Miami priest and now bishop emeritus of Pueblo, Colorado, opted to take the bus as part of a group of 47 Miami pilgrims.

For him, enduring the 20-hour bus ride meant doing exactly what Pope Francis asks of his priests: to be shepherds “with the smell of sheep.”

“The experience of a pilgrimage is important and it has been a marvelous experience,” said Bishop Isern said while standing among thousands of others on the Capitol lawn, awaiting the pope’s message to Congress.

“I have seen the faith of the people and witnessed and felt the presence of the Holy Father,” he said. “We want to let him know that we love him and that the U.S. has received him with much love and with open arms.

“To be a part of that reception has been a little tiring,” the bishop admitted, “but it has been well worth it.”