St. Thomas and St. Catherine students either sprawled on the bus floor or tried to get comfortable in their seats as the group of 50 traveling to Philadelphia to see the pope rolled through Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
More than halfway into the 21-hour trip, students and employees of both schools’ campus ministry programs said the opportunity to see Pope Francis during his first visit to the United States is worth the ride.
“Things are going great,” Marta Pereira, a campus minister at St. Kate’s said. “Of course uncomfortable as it is in the bus, I think we’re happy and excited to be going to see the pope.”
Erin Leu, a St. Kate’s graduate student, is one of a handful of students who opted to sleep on the bus floor.
“I’m not really used to sleeping on a moving vehicle,” Leu said. “I ended up having to sleep on the floor just to try and actually get some sleep … It’s the only way I could possibly stretch out.”
Despite the discomfort, the opportunity to see the pope is worth it for Leu. Students on the trip will attend one of two papal audiences Saturday and the papal Mass Sunday along with more than one million other pilgrims visiting the city for the World Meeting of Families.
“This is going to be a big event, so it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Leu explained. “I wasn’t going to miss it.”
St. Thomas sophomore Robert Klemm has been following news of Pope Francis’ visit and is eager to see him in person. The pope spoke Thursday to Congress and Friday to world leaders and diplomats at the United Nations.
Klemm listened to part of the pope’s speech to Congress and said he was impressed by Pope Francis’ ability to express himself.
“He’s a great speaker,” Klemm said. “He’s very precise with his words and how he wants to communicate.”
Trip leaders and students are also focusing on community building through prayer. Students are encouraged to think of a family in need of prayer and pray for them throughout the trip in keeping with the theme of the pope’s Philadelphia visit.
Grace Pastoor can be reached at past6138@stthomas.edu.