Pope Francis arrives in the United States today to meet with the Catholic people of America, following Pope John Paul II’s example of being the “Traveling Shepherd.”

“Pope Francis truly wants to visit the faithful and to reach out to every American,” Father Martin Latiff said, “He is a very personal Pope.”

Pope Francis’ trip begins in Washington D.C. tomorrow. He will be visiting the White House and meeting with President Barack Obama. Afterwards, Pope Francis will canonize Blessed Junipero Serra with over 25,000 faithful witnesses.

“The Pope chose Serra because he considers him one of the founding fathers of the United States,” Fr. Martin said.

Junipero Serra established missions along the coast of California during the eighteenth century, and is credited for spreading the Catholic faith to the west coast. His canonization Mass will be the first held on U.S. soil.

The following day, Pope Francis will accomplish yet another first. He will be the first Pope to deliver an address to Congress.

“We are hoping that his moral authority helps us advance many of the items that we take to be very high on our policy agenda,” Charles Kupchan, an advisor to President Obama, said to the White House Press Office.

The Pope will then head to New York City. He will address the United Nations on Friday, the organization’s 70th anniversary. After giving his speech, Pope Francis will visit the 9/11 Memorial Site and Madison Square Garden.

The main focus of the Pope’s visit is service to families, as suggested by the theme of his visit, “Love is our mission.” On Saturday, Pope Francis will travel to Philadelphia to attend the Festival of Families. This event is a gathering of religious families and family services. This year, the festival will include the Pope’s presentation on the Catholic Church’s teachings on family.

On the last day of his visit, Sept. 27, Pope Francis will hold a final papal meeting with a select group of American bishops. He will also visit the Curran Fromhold Correctional Facility. Keeping with his theme of service, the Pope aims to serve families, but also the disadvantaged, while in the U.S.

Throughout the entire period of Pope Francis’ visit, Cathedral Catholic High School’s daily bulletin will keep students informed of his whereabouts. Each morning prayer throughout the week will relate to where the Pope is in the U.S. Students will also focus on his pilgrimage in the classroom.

“His visit will be incorporated into religion classes, depending on the teacher,” Mrs. Blackstone-Gardner said, “My class [Campus Ministry] is creating iMovie trailers.”

Throughout the week, the CCHS community will focus on the Pope’s presence.