(Toledo News Now) - It's a journey months in the making... hundreds of local Catholics embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Philadelphia that will culminate in a mass from Pope Francis next Sunday.
Monday marked the beginning of that voyage with families from the Toledo Catholic Diocese, as they all met in the early morning to board several tour buses for the long trip east. WTOL's Emilie Voss and Mike Holden are making their way to Philadelphia along with these families.
The group will attend the World Meeting of Families all week long, which is being held in Philadelphia this year. It's a significant event for Catholics being hosted for the first time ever in America.
Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, once an auxiliary bishop in Philadelphia, told WTOL before the trip that he is ecstatic to return to the place he once called home.
"I have to say the greatest joy right now is that I am able to bring pilgrims and be a fellow pilgrim with people from my diocese traveling for this extraordinary event," he said.
Three buses carrying 125 people stopped at the Ohio/Pennsylvania state line to stretch and refuel around noon.
Mike Holden says that the trip has been fun so far. Many travelers are passing the time by reading or napping. Some are enjoying the movie "Cinderella". There was also a pretty intense game of UNO on board, which the Bishop won!
But, among all the fun and relaxation, there has also been song and prayer.
"Prayer is an essential part of it and it's the way we're preparing ourselves, our hearts, minds and souls spiritually to receive all the grace that the Lord desires to give us," said Bishop Thomas.
Many of the kids on the trip say their top two reasons for being excited are to see the Pope and to eat cheese steak, a famous Philly cuisine.
Bishop Thomas echoes that statement, saying he's excited to introduce Toledo families to Philly food.
