On the road for 12 hours, students patiently waited to get a chance to see a man who is considered the leader of the

Catholic religion, Pope Francis.

A 60-student tour group, composed of 49 Eastern students, along with 11 from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, went to Philadelphia in a fleet of one mini-bus and several vans to see the Pope.

The vehicles left Saturday morning. Students paid $60 to visit him and stayed until Monday morning.

Ivy Handley, a junior elementary and special education major, said she remembers the thrill she felt as she sat and waited for the van to reach its destination.

“Just having this opportunity and being able to see the pope gave me jitters,” Handley said. “That’s a once in a life time chance and we were able to do that with some of our closest friends.”

The Papal Pilgrimage committee began planning the trip before school started.

Lauren Dowd, a family and consumer science major, was a part of the planning and said the mass gave her a sense of community. She said the mass was filled with different people who all had the goal to love one another in the smallest ways.

“I have a new found love for my faith,” Dowd said. “I learned how you can love people in smaller ways and through the little things in life.”

Dowd said she knows now that the only way she can truly get through a rough patch is by loving the people around her. She said, even on campus, just opening the door for someone is a small act of love.

Handley said being in the moment can show love for the people around her. She said often times students are on their phones and not responsive to those around them. She said people are so involved with technology and sometimes do not know how to actually talk to one another.

Both Dowd and Handley are Catholic and said they try to go to Church at least twice a week. Handley lived in a transitional home over the summer and went to mass twice a week, which put her in the habit of going to church often.

The pope’s visit was about the world meeting of families and the focus was on the importance of family and being loved, Dowd said.

“He doesn’t even know any of us, and doesn’t even speak fluent English and doesn’t have to say anything. He just radiates love,” Handley said.

The basic human need is to be loved, Dowd said. She said it is important for everyone to know they are a part of something and how valuable they are.

“Once you get that love, you share it with others and it’s kind of like a domino effect. It just keeps going and growing,” Dowd said.

Handley said she would never forget standing in line at the meeting with the pope and seeing a mother and her daughter. She said the daughter had a disability and she remembers how much love and devotion the mother held in her eyes for the daughter.

“I’m actually getting chills now because of it, because I witnessed so many people, and in that moment we were all one,” Handley said.

T’Nerra Butler can be reached at 581-2812 or tabutler@eiu.edu