Those who met Pope Francis recall his Philadelphia visit in 2015
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- In the wake of his passing, many people are remembering when Pope Francis visited Philadelphia in 2015.
He also made stops in Washington, D.C. and New York before coming to the City of Brotherly Love for the World Meeting of Families.
A bouquet of flowers was left at the base of a statue on the campus of St. Joseph's University.
The pope blessed this statue when he made a surprise visit to the campus in 2015. Two thousand people gathered as he splashed holy water on the statue, representing interfaith communication between Jewish and Christian communities.
"I feel like we were blessed to have him here, but I also feel like he went out of his way to give us inspiration, saying 'you're doing good work, keep doing it,'" said Fr. Dan Joyce at St. Joseph's University.
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Bobby Hill remembers his once-in-a-lifetime performance.
Just minutes before appearing on stage, his choir director told the then 14-year-old he would be singing solo for the Pope.
He gifted the pope the rock of Peter, and the pope gave him a rosary.
Hill, who was a soprano and is now a tenor, is a senior at Yale studying global affairs with a minor in music.
While in Philadelphia, the Pope stayed at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, the oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in Pennsylvania.
"Surreal is the best way to describe it. I remember when the Fiat arrived on campus and he got out. I told people later, 'When you go to Rome and you see the pope, that's awesome, but when the Pope comes to your home, it's out of this world,'" said Auxilliary Bishop Keith Chylinski of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Back at St Joseph's University, a shrine to the Pope now stands inside the chapel.
"He's an inspiration. He's a guidepost for us as a world leader and as a religious leader," said Fr. Dan Joyce.
