We asked our Good Shepherd family what they thought of the Pope's visit to the United States. Here's some of what you had to say.....

Part of the World Meeting of Families

The Spirit of God covered the City of Philadelphia the entire weekend. The Spirit of Peace and Love filled the air, and showed on the faces and in the hearts of the multitude of jubilant pilgrims that came to see and hear Pope Francis.

The Holy Father embraced The Family in his messages. He simply stated, “The Family is a Factory of Love.” He also said, “God is Love – God is Truth!” He asks us to “befriend those who are different from us and those with whom we disagree.”

As Father Martin spoke about in his Homily at Daily Mass – we at Good Shepherd are a Family, “we are brothers and sisters.” We are a Family Blessed by Christ Jesus our Good Shepherd.We are so very Blessed with Father Martin, our Pastor and our Brother.

Joy Harrington attended parts of the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.
Read more about Joy's experiences from that weekend.

I have never felt so comfortable being a Catholic as I did during the Pope’s visit and since. I do not agree with all his ideas, but I was struck by his genuineness and touchability. By that I mean he was eye level with humanity. I have seen a lot of popes come and go. But I feel like you could comfortably sit with Pope Francis and have a cup of tea. I saw a picture of him somewhere enjoying a real belly laugh with some people. I have never seen a picture of a pope enjoying a belly laugh. It made me smile. I think the Church is in for a ride and I think Pope Francis will bring his flock back to the Church.

Teresa Hammler

Pope Francis is amazing...his love of children and grandparents is a very special blessing from our beloved Pope. His constant smiles and hugs to children and those who have health attention; his attention to adults and his sincere love....Pope Francis is definitely a very loving and giving Pope. May God bless and keep him healthy.

Betty Gates

I felt truly blessed to be in Pope Francis presence and very proud and happy to be a Catholic. How do you explain a Rainbow appearing in the sky over Central Park on a sunny day as we awaited Pope Francis arrival? Could this be God's way of showing us His pleasure?



Anna Zamora was Part of the Crowd Greeting Pope Francis Around Cantral Park.

While I was certainly and profoundly impacted by Pope Francis’ visit to America, I was also greatly impressed by the amount of media coverage given him while he was here. All the network news channels, as well as many local stations, provided extensive reporting of practically every minute of his daily schedule, which allowed millions of people to be exposed to his humility, his gentleness, and his devotion. There were multiple camera placements at every critical location, live reporters giving accurate and extensive commentary on what was happening, personal interviews with the crowds of people attending the events, and continuous commercial-free coverage from early morning to late at night. Their willingness to provide unlimited hours of live reporting from a multitude of venues most certainly must have supported the pope’s mission of mercy and contributed to spreading the word of God to the millions who followed his journey.

Jack Vreeland

Attending Fellowship with Francis...

I was so happy with the turnout from our parish in response to the invitation for Fellowship with Francis. Father Martin frequently refers to the Good Shepherd parishioners as family and it was a blessing to share viewing of the mass celebrated by Pope Francis with my parish family. It was a deeply moving experience and I couldn't help but feel the joy and excitement generated by such a beautiful event spill over into our midst. Fellowship with Francis was the next best thing to being at the mass!

Good Shepherd Parishioner

The opportunity to gather with fellow parishioners, friends, and family to witness Pope Francis celebrate Mass at MSG was inspirational, historical, and spiritual. The fellowship and faith I experienced by everyone present was equivalent to being in New York. This was a wonderful evening!!!

Tom Altonjy