#PopeInPhilly: Pilgrims Call Experience ‘Overwhelming’ & ‘Magnificent’

Despite an underwhelming amount of papal weekend travel passes sold throughout SEPTA’s regional rail lines for Pope Francis’ visit, thousands walked away from Levittown-area stations smiling and feeling immensely positive about their experience.

Levittowners and outside visitors arrived back to the Croydon, Levittown and Woodbourne stations shortly before 7 p.m., after having boarded at stations downtown following Pope Francis’ mass held in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum. The pilgrims arrived at the Woodbourne station via the West Trenton regional rail line, and to Croydon and Tullytown via the Trenton line.

Langhorne’s Chris Zachowski had traveled to Philadelphia to see Pope John Paul back in 1979 – she engaged in the experience this time with her daughter. “I thought it would be great to go down and see the pope again, but this time with her,” she said smiling. “When Pope John Paul came he rode through the streets so quickly, but this Pope, he got out of his popemobile and was blessing people and kissing babies, it was amazing.”

Zachowski’s daughter Heather said she loved the experience, saying it was extremely organized. Heather Zachowski said it was an event her mom and her had planned since they first made the announcement the Catholic leader would be coming to the city. “You can just tell this Pope really loves people,” she said. “He’s just always smiling.”

The mother-daughter team said their favorite part of the mass was how diverse it was. “They had translators who translated into a few different languages,” Chris Zachowski said. “That was great.”

For Mary Ellen Lane, who rode back from the event to the Levittown station, the event was “overwhelming”.”It was an overwhelming yet magnificent experience,” she said. “It was certainly much more than I expected from watching television yesterday.”

PHOTOS: Thousands Return To Lower Bucks County After Papal Mass

Tom Roaster and his wife, who also rode SEPTA’s regional rail line to the Levittown station were exhausted after an entire weekend spent downtown. “Yesterday we got down there really early and waited for 11 hours on the parkway,” he recalled. “Today we got down there later and sat through security for four hours. We had seating in a group of about 10,000 seats, it was very good but kind of bizarre,” he joked.

If there was a gleaming light among the stations, it came from Rita Donahue, who arrived back to the area in Langhorne after a long day seeing Pope Francis. Donahue also ventured to the city to see Pope John Paul in 1979 and said this experience was one she had to take. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” she said, proudly wearing a button with Pope Francis’ face on it. “It was a joyous and wonderful experience.”

Trains here… @SEPTA #PopeInPhilly #LTownPope pic.twitter.com/DudqixGpaE

— Amanda Kuehnle (@amandaMkuehnle) September 28, 2015