Hundreds of thousands have turned out in Cuba to greet Pope Francis. He's also bringing his message of mercy and service to the United States this week.
"This is exciting," said Sabrina Queen, director of faith formation at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Canton. "Pope Francis is coming to America. We're Michigan and we're close by so we just thought, no, we have to do this," she said.
When buses roll later this week, Queen and Chris Leach, the parish's youth minister, will be on board - along with 47 others from the parish.
Pope Francis will land on U.S. soil on Tuesday after spending several days in Cuba. It will be his first visit to America. His itinerary also includes stops in New York and Philadelphia.
"I think the opportunity to gather together as the church here in the United States and to pray with him and hear his message, I think that's an opportunity people don't want to miss," Leach said.
Corporate Travel Service in Dearborn Heights is making the journey possible for many by organizing a caravan for pilgrims.
"We have about 12 busses traveling, close to 400 people and that's a great interest," said John Hale, the company's president. "This Pope has a different dialogue. He's opening the doors to people and I think really trying to reach out and it's resonating with people," Hale said.
Leach said those heading to Philadelphia from St. John Neumann range in age from 11 to the late 70's," Leach said. "He's got great appeal to families and this message at the World Meeting of Families resonates with a lot of people.
