Kitty-corner from the Pennsylvania Convention Center in
Philadelphia’s Center City lies Reading Terminal Market, an
indoor farmers market that attracts vendors from across the
region. Fresh fish, produce and baked goods abound in a space
beloved by locals. But on the morning of Sept. 22, the
opening day of the World Meeting of Families Congress,
Reading Terminal swarmed with priests, nuns and Catholic
families from across the globe. Their mission: finding
breakfast.
When I lined up for coffee and an Apple Harvest doughnut at
Beiler’s, an Amish bakery, at 10 a.m., I spotted WMOF
attendees right away. They wore emerald green lanyards and
clear plastic backpacks bearing the World Meeting of Families
and Knights of Columbus names and logos. Most of them
betrayed their excitement for the papal visit with smiles,
animated conversation (in any number of languages) and
frenzied darting from booth to booth.
Soon, the market was filled with WMOF folks, the same way
signs greeting Pope Francis populate Reading Terminal’s
windows and countertops. Just another undeniable sign of the
Universal Catholic Church in Philadelphia this week.
Read more:
The City of Brotherly Love Prepares for Pope Francis
