The moment Catholics from around the world have been waiting for has arrived.
PHILADELPHIA -- It's been more than three years since an announcement let the globe know that The World Meeting of Families would not only be coming to the U.S. for the first time, but Philadelphia would be hosting it.
On Tuesday afternoon, after 38 month's worth of painstaking planning, organizers excitedly welcomed thousands of pilgrims to the meeting's opening ceremony.
"Each of us has a different story ... but all of us feel at home because we are united in our heavenly father," said Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, who traveled 4,360 miles from Rome.
The World Meeting of Families will include conferences, lectures and breakout sessions under the banner, "Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive." More than one million people are expected to flock to Philadelphia by the end of the week for Pope Francis' arrival, which will make him the fourth pope to ever visit this country.
Downtown Philadelphia is already buzzing with activity however, with construction going on to prepare for the public events and thousands of visitors from more than 100 countries having already made their way into the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection.
"Words cannot express the time and effort these individuals and many others put into planning this," meeting Executive Director Donna Crilley-Farrell said of those seated behind her, including Mayor Michael Nutter, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput and heads of other sponsoring companies.
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The agenda for this week's events -- which target both adults and youth and "will celebrate family and the sanctuary of love and life," organizers said -- includes sessions with topics such as "In the city: Concerns of the Urban Family," "Where is this relationship going: Dating as discernment" and "The Light of the family in a dark world."
The first meeting was held in 1994 and more than 18,000 people registered to attend Philadelphia's festivities. Among them was Melissa Michel, a resident of the southern region of France and proud parent of five children.
"I'm looking forward to families being taken off the back burner," she said while walking shoulder to shoulder with other pilgrims inside the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
The week-long event culminates on Saturday and Sunday with public appearances of Pope Francis at Independence Hall and along the Ben Franklin Parkway.
"What happens here this week is a celebration not about the past, but the future," Chaput said. "The future is alive in the souls of each and every pilgrim that comes here."
The final speaker during Tuesday's ceremony was a visibly excited Nutter, who after months of dire press conferences about "traffic boxes," closed bridges and open businesses could finally revel in the moment.
Describing Philadelphia as a place of tolerance and a city of neighborhoods anchored by families, Nutter said this week would be "an incredible personal and professional moment" for him -- even if he was just a kid from West Philly.
"This is the start of the most historic event in modern Philadelphia history," he said to enthusiastic applause. "It's game time in Philadelphia. We're ready to go."
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.