(KFSM) -- Nearly 100 people piled into a few buses for a 20-hour bus ride, all to catch a glimpse of one man.
Two local Catholic church groups left Thursday afternoon (Sept. 24), headed for Philadelphia and an opportunity to see Pope Francis.
Members of Christ the King Catholic Church in Fort Smith are traveling with members of St. Raphael Catholic Church in Springdale. Both churches have been planning this trip for months.
“You've been planning for this trip, and you really want to go, and you've been thinking about it for the last couple of months, and it's here, but it's hard to think about and grasp,” said Allee Hanes, a member of Christ the King.
Father Juan Guido of St. Raphael Catholic Church said this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“One of the reasons we're going is we want to experience the joy that Pope Francis brought to our country, and we're just very excited about it, and we just want to be a part of this great event that's going on right now,” Fr. Guido said.
He said for him, and many members of his church, seeing the pope is about more than just being Catholic. It's about sharing their South American heritage with him.
“Many of our group from Springdale are Hispanics, and it's our joy and a sense of pride because we have a pope from our continent, and it's just a great joy for having him, and it's more personal,” Fr. Guido said.
Each member of the group had a different idea about what they wanted to do when they saw the pope.
“I'm sure I’m going to ask him to pray for me and tell him I’m praying for him,” said Catherine Phillips, a member of Christ the King.
“I just want to touch his hand,” Hanes said. “That's all I want to do.”
Other members of the group said they don't think they'll be able to contain their excitement much longer.
“Well, if you took my heart rate right now, it'd be pretty rough on me,” said Tony Spahn, another member of Christ the King. “They might want to take me to the hospital.”
Fr. Guido said no matter what they'll all take away one thing.
“It's the honesty about the man that really calls to you, and also that he's a great message of peace and Christ,” Father Guido said.
The group has tickets for Saturday’s (Sept. 26) prayer service and the papal Mass.