"People don’t need a lesson in theology. They need the heart, and I think that’s what he has."
Laurie DeLuca
Pope Francis was in Philadelphia this weekend and so were more than 250 pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Hartford.
The faithful boarded two buses Friday afternoon at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield in an excited buzz. Once in Philadelphia, they joined the 18,000 other people expected to attended the WorldMeeting of Families at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The gathering centered on the role of family in society and coordinated with Pope Francis's visit to the city.
Laurie DeLuca is an adult faith teacher at St. Augustine’s Church in Hartford. She says Pope Francis's message resonates with many people.
“People don’t need a lesson in theology. They need the heart and I think that’s what he has. He speaks from the heart, his heart shows and I think that’s why he’s so endearing to people," DeLuca said.
Watch Catholics from the Archdiocese of Hartford share their thoughts on Pope Francis in WNPR's video below.
Elizabeth Cuentas, a Peruvian Catholic who now lives in New Britain, said it's significant to her that the Pope is from Argentina. She took the trip to Philadelphia with her mother and two nephews.
“The Spanish community has to know, the most important [thing] is, everybody can go to be a leader," Cuentas said.
DeLuca's friend Marielle Swinson, a Catholic from West Hartford who made the trip with her, said that she expects that she and her fellow parishioners will be inspired by Pope Francis's presence and motivated to continue practicing their faith and help the impoverished when they return.
"Well probably I will have what they call the 'Francis effect' where I'll probably feel like I'm floating on air for a long time after when I come back. I think it will cause me to continue to reflect on my faith, and to continue to study about my faith," Swinson said.
The trip concluded on Sunday at the papal Mass, where over 1 million people were expected to be in attendance. DeLuca said that about 800 Catholics from Connecticut were expected to travel Philadelphia on diocesan-organized trips.
