After a full day of preaching and teaching, Pope Francis made his long-awaited appearance in Center City on Saturday night.
PHILADELPHIA -- You didn't have to be close. You just had to be there and when that shimmering second came, the hours of waiting were worth it.
After a full day of faithfully following the preaching and teaching, the pilgrims who flocked to Philadelphia to see Pope Francis were given the opportunity to celebrate themselves at the Festival of Families.
"I wouldn't do this for the biggest celebrity in town," said Jessica Diaz, 19, a Queens resident visiting with her mother who is originally from Columbia, in South America.
Diaz was among the hundreds of thousands of visitors in Center City late Saturday afternoon and into the evening who enjoyed the fellowship of families, live entertainment and music, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Andrea Bocelli and Aretha Franklin.
The festivities along the Ben Franklin Parkway were the final event of Saturday's celebration, rounding out the papal Mass at Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul and an appearance at Independence Hall.
RELATED: Don't be ashamed of traditions, Pope Francis says
"I saw him yesterday in Central Park so I'm good," said Diaz, who was in no rush to run to the fences that lined Center City streets to control pedestrian traffic clambering for a sight of the Holy Father. "It's not that I'm not excited; I saw him yesterday so somebody else can have a spot up front."
Mary Stengel, an Arkansas resident who came to the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection with her two children, said Philadelphia had treated her well thus far.
"I've never done anything like this before," she said.
The television screens that showed Francis' speech at Independence Hall portrayed a man who looked larger than life. Those gathered around City Hall, LOVE Park and the municipal services building stood silent, reading the translations of Pope Francis' teachings.
At 5:45 p.m., the cheers started. They echoed off downtown skyscrapers and carried through the alleyways of Center City. The cries of joy only got louder as Pope Francis was carried around City Hall more than an hour later -- the first time the majority of those in attendance had seen the head of their church that day, or ever.
The experience left some in tears.
Terri Boyle, 53, of Philadelphia, called the chance to see Pope Francis "just unbelievable. It's just incredible."
"I never thought I would be 20 yards from the holiest man that we have to look to," she said. "It brings me a lot of hope and I hope that Catholics that may be having doubts and questions that it brings people back. I hope that it renews people's faith or strengthens people's faith."
Boyle, a Catholic, said the pope "brings such a message to everyone of all faiths, all religions, all races, of mercy and just life."
Boyle said she was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 39. When she was diagnosed she said she turned to God and said "whatever your will is but just give me the strength to handle that."
She said she has been in remission for 14 years.
"I always feel like God let's you know that have to look beyond what's in front of you. You just look to other things," she said. "If you pay attention God is always giving you a message."
"When you're hurt and when you're down and when you're tested, that's really the time when it's hard to hold on but it's the most important time to hold on," she said.
The thousands of pilgrims who lined Center City streets took to balancing on top of trash cans, climbing trees and standing on benches and cement posts. Whatever it took to get a photo and video of Pope Francis riding down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and around City Hall and back, these papal pilgrims did.
Luis Rodriguez, 37, of Camden, propped up his 15-year-old Luis on a lamppost by using his left shoulder to lift him above the crowds who were standing five or six deep at the gates lining the parade route.
"Don't let me fall," the son told his father.
"Don't lean too much," his father replied.
The elder Rodriguez, who walked with his family to Philadelphia over the Ben Franklin Bridge, said his faith drew him to the city today.
"I'm a believer," he said. " I got to show my kids growing up right now the faith and he's a figure of the Catholic Church that we believe in and he represents all of us."
Long before Francis made his Saturday evening trip around City Hall, minds were already drifting toward Sunday afternoon's Mass.
MORE: What would you say to Pope Francis?
"This is once in a lifetime," said Jeanette Rodrigues, a northern California resident who laid claim to a sidewalk square outside a Center City 7-Eleven with friend Jan Pedrini, also of California.
"My expectations are to not get any closer than seeing him on a Jumbotron," said Pedrini. "I still want to see how they expect to give communion to 2 million people," she joked about Sunday's 4 p.m. Mass.
NJ Advance Media reporter Erin O'Neil contributed to this report
Greg Adomaitis may be reached at gadomaitis@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregAdomaitis. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.