PHILADELPHIA - As the first full day of the Pope's visit to Philadelphia drew to a close Saturday, many got a chance to get a glimpse of the popular pontiff.
For some, it was not the first time they saw the Pope. Meghan and Daniel Ritter already met Pope Francis in 2014. He blessed them while on their honeymoon in the Vatican.
"It was one of the top moments of our lives," Meghan Ritter said. "It was the first full day of our honeymoon. We were in Italy for two weeks and we could have went home that day completely happy and satisfied."
And when Daniel Jr. was born, these Philadelphia natives knew exactly what they wanted to do at the Festival of Families.
"It was a hard delivery, and so he had a rough time, but he did great and so we thought this was the perfect opportunity to have him blessed by Pope Francis," she said.
There are thousands of people out here on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and thousands of stories, but all the people here had one goal: to get a glimpse of Pope Francis.
"We're so excited to see the Holy Father, and just to have his shadow pass us," Carol Genth said. "We're from Denver and we're on a journey of faith, and we're looking for him to inspire us as he has the world."
"We've traveled to DC and now we're here hoping to see the Pope," Lucy David, of Flat Rock, Mich., said." We saw the Popemobile, but it was on a flatbed truck, so we're hoping to see him in it."
On Saturday night, they got their chance, as the Pope went down the parkway, around City Hall and back up to spread hope to the masses.
"Life is a gift until you give it to somebody," Chiwe Uyamo, of Abuja, Nigeria, said. "So that is why we're here. The Pope is trying to bring peace to the troubled world."