Thousands overcome with excitement before seeing Pope Francis in Philly

PHILADELPHIA (WABC) -- Saturday on Philadelphia's iconic Ben Franklin Bridge, they marched and sang and prayed. Six bus loads from a church group in Newark we overwhelmed with excitement before seeing the Holy Father in the City of Brotherly Love.

"It's a feeling that you can't describe - you have to be here in order for you to see it," said Jesus Artega, "I can only describe this feeling with the big smile I have on my face to be honest. It's like Christmas when you open a present or something and you're like 'YES! I got what I wanted. It's an amazing feeling."

With five square miles of Center City, Philadelphia now off-limits to incoming traffic, the bridge, 13 stories high over the Delaware River became a highway of humanity as men, and women, young and old completed a pilgrimage that was not to be missed.

"I'm having a pope-tastic weekend!" said Johnny Wong of Long Island City.

Wong was there for Pope Francis' mass at Madison Square Garden on Friday. It was still dark on Saturday morning when he drove to Camden and managed to score a seat on a commuter line into Philly. Wong says he would have walked to the end of the earth to see the Pontiff for a second straight day.

"We believe in the Pope, and everything he stands for, and that's very important to us," adds Wong.

9-year-old Marcelina Cancel, her big sister, and her parents made the trek from South Richmond Hill, Queens. Their trip was not merely to see the Pope, but to see the Pope together. After all, this is the World Meeting of Families, a triennial global conference that focuses on strengthening those delicate bonds.

For Michelle Larsen from Neptune, it is a cause important enough for her and her friend Jayne to volunteer at the summit all week.

"We're never going to get an opportunity like this again, so you gotta take it in," Larsen says.

This afternoon, they took a break and staked out prime territory on Independence Mall for the papal parade to see Pope Francis in the flesh.

"I guess because it makes it real, I mean, you see him on TV, on the internet - you read the stories and whatnot, but seeing him in person is an entirely different experience," she adds.