Suburban Catholics head east to see Pope Francis: 'God is present with him'

The first time Faustina Ferko saw the pope, it changed her life.

A college student visiting Rome, she and her friends skipped out on their tour group and found their way to St. Peter's Square. Pope John Paul II was leading the beatification of 44 saints that day - March 5, 2000. Among those being blessed were a group of 11 Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth who gave their lives to ensure a group of 120 Polish prisoners would live during World War II.

Ferko stood in the crowd and cried as she saw hundreds of nuns watching the pope recognize the group now known as the Martyrs of Nowogrodek.

"I remember pointing to them and telling my friends, 'I want to become a religious Sister just like them.' It planted a seed in my heart," said Ferko, who is now a nun at St. James Parish in Arlington Heights and a member of the Holy Family of Nazareth. "I believe Pope John Paul II led me to my vocation."

This week Ferko will see another pope, and she hopes to be transformed once again. She is one of many who will travel from the suburbs for Pope Francis' visits to New York, Washington and Philadelphia.

Ferko said the experience of seeing the pope is one people will never forget.

"Even though you are in a sea of people, you look out and see the Holy Father and you know that he loves you and that you're important to him," she said. "It is like experiencing God's love through this person that he has put as the leader of the Catholic Church. It can be overwhelming because I really believe God is present with him, so it is a real encounter with the love of God."

Ferko will be flying from Chicago to Philadelphia on Tuesday to participate in the World Meeting of Families and staying through the pope's weekend visit.

"I am looking forward to meeting the pope on American soil. I've been overseas and I've been to see him, and now I feel like he is coming to see me, and that is going to be a really beautiful experience," she said.

She even hopes to bring a little bit of Arlington Heights with her. As director of youth ministry at St. James, Ferko asked her students for a prayer intention to carry with her to Philadelphia; she hopes to get a necklace or other symbol blessed by the pope to bring back to her parish.

Here are the stories of other suburbanites planning to be part of the pope's visit.

Deacon Don

As thousands line up to receive communion during next Sunday's Papal Mass in Philadelphia, Deacon Don Grossnickle of Our Lady of the Wayside in Arlington Heights will be one of many helping hand it out.

"I'm tremendously excited about it," said Grossnickle, who compares the experience to being on top of a mountain.

Grossnickle works with people with disabilities as part of his ministry in the Chicago area and also volunteered to help in Philadelphia. He plans to arrive early and help get people with disabilities settled for the pope's events in what is expected to be a very crowded Ben Franklin Parkway before putting on his vestments for the afternoon Mass.

When Pope Benedict visited New York in 2008, Grossnickle was among the spectators at Yankee Stadium.

"When the opportunity came up to be involved this time, I jumped at it," he said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience that more than likely will never happen again. I'm having trouble containing myself, to be honest."

Grossnickle said just having the pope visit the U.S. makes a statement by itself.

"The church and the U.S. have had some tough times of late, but this is huge. I feel like the United States should feel it has good status again because the pope has chosen to spend this much time with us," he said.

Grossnickle has an active Facebook presence and said he plans to be updating from Philadelphia with photos and posts.

Inspiring Hispanics

As the first Hispanic pontiff, Pope Francis is inspiring legions of Spanish-speaking Americans, who will also be traveling to the East Coast for his visit. While he's here, Pope Francis will give four speeches in English, and 14 in his native tongue.

That is inspiring to Carlos Restrepo and his wife, Nelly Bravo-Restrepo of Woodridge, whose family won free tickets through U.S. Rep. Bill Foster's office to attend the pope's address to Congress.

Carlos is originally from Columbia, Nelly from Ecuador, and the family said it will be "very special" to attend with their two daughters, Elizabeth, 17, and Sofia, 9.

"I wish we could get close enough to touch him, but I don't think that's going to happen. We just want to give our kids the experience to be as close as they can be to the pope," Carlos said. "We are very, very excited. He seems so down to earth, and I like what he stands for and what he believes. This is probably the closest we will ever get to him. It's pretty cool."

'It's a pilgrimage'

Hawthorn Woods residents Traci Dahlinger and Karin Jurczak, along with Pam Lynch and Susan Funke of Lake Zurich, will be seeing the pope in Philadelphia. The women know each other through their work at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Lake Zurich.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, this whole experience," said Dahlinger, who visited the Vatican for a Mass with Pope John Paul II in 1990.

Lynch, who helps coordinate St. Francis' youth ministry program, said she expects a lot of spirituality on the trip.

"In the summer, I go on a youth conference where there's like 3,000 teens in an arena," Lynch said. "And to be with that many Catholic teens in an arena is pretty inspiring. So, to be with a million Catholics of all ages is going to be terrific. And I know the Holy Spirit will be there. And Pope Francis always speaks about love and mercy and forgiveness. That's what his message is no matter what he says. So, if everyone there is interested in hearing about love and mercy and forgiveness, it's going to be awesome. I'm sure of it."

Funke is a fan of Pope Francis, citing his enthusiasm and caring nature.

"Oh, my gosh, what is not to like about Pope Francis?" Funke said. "I believe he is going to be the pope that changes the next generation. I believe he's going to bring the youth that have left the church, back to the church. I believe he's our modern-day pope."

Dahlinger said she believes Pope Francis' actions on issues, such as making it easier to obtain a marriage annulment, are leading people to give the Catholic church a second look.

"It's really powerful," she said.

The four women are part of a tour group arranged by the Archdiocese of Chicago, They'll bunk together in a Trenton, New Jersey, hotel and then travel by bus to and from Philadelphia.

"We've been planning this since in March, I think," Jurczak said. "and we're just really excited to finally go."

'Catholics like me'

Maggie Becker, 24 of Aurora was born and raised Catholic, but she acknowledges she doesn't go to church regularly like many her age.

However, after winning tickets to see Pope Francis address Congress in Washington, Becker said she could not be more excited.

"Pope Francis speaks to people like me who try to live their life the Catholic way and treat people with love and respect, but might have been a little put off by the focus on the doctrine," she said. "He has been bringing Catholics like me back to the faith."

Becker and her sister will head to D.C. on Wednesday in advance of the Thursday address, but she isn't really sure what to expect.

"I think it will be a little surreal," she said. "I never thought I would get this kind of experience, especially here in America."

'All about the joy'

JoAnne Mullen-Muhr, director of faith formation at St. James, is traveling with Sister Faustina. Mullen-Muhr said she is looking forward to just being in Pope Francis' presence.

"This pope excites people from all walks of life, and it will be really awesome to be around people who are so excited about something that is unifying, instead of dividing, in our society," she said.

Especially with crowds expected to top out at more than 1 million people.

"I've never been to an event that populous. I imagine it's going to be very powerful," she said.

Mullen-Muhr, who was born and raised in St. James Parish, said she hopes to bring some of that excitement home the Arlington Heights church.

"When you do something that authentically speaks to your heart, it just sets you a little more on fire. I hope to bring some of that fire back," she said. "It's all about the joy."

• Daily Herald staff writer Bob Susnjara contributed to this report.