DELANO -- The Karlavage family is back home in Delano after what they call "a blessed trip of a lifetime." The trio went to Philadelphia to see Pope Francis host the papal mass in Center City.
"The feeling of being there was absolutely phenomenal," said Kelly Karlavage.
The family got the tickets to the mass through the Diocese of Allentown and traveled to Philly with a group from St. Richard's Roman Catholic Church in Barnesville.
The Karlavage's saw the pope pass by in a motorcade and celebrated mass on the Ben Franklin Parkway with about one million other people.
"I hugged my best friend the whole mass and we cried, to just hear that many people singing," Kelly said.
The family says they thought the whole event went smoothly. They were stuck in a security line for a few hours, but that's about it.
"People really behaved during the mass. People in Philadelphia aren't known for that, so it went off without a hitch," said Ken Karlavage.
Besides all the memories the family now has, they also have a souvenir: an actual golden ticket.
"It didn't even matter if we saw him, just to be in that element for that day," said Kelly.
In total, the Karlavages say they walked about 10 miles and stood for the entire mass.
They say the hype before the weekend did have them a little nervous, but they always knew they would find a way to be near the pope.
"Some people were saying we were crazy for going because something might happen," Ken said.
The family says the whole experience was something they'll never forget.
Pope Francis seemed to enjoy his trip, too. He tweeted, "With my heartfelt thanks. May the love of Christ always guide the American people! #godblessamerica."
