From Tuesday September 22- Sunday September 27, head of the Roman Catholic Church Pope Francis visited the United States; making stops at several prominent locations including New York City, Philadelphia, and the nation’s capital Washington D.C. Beginning with his arrival at Fort Base Andrews in D.C. on Tuesday afternoon, Pope Francis spent his six day trip holding masses, addressing crowds, and even visiting a correctional facility. Thousands came from all over the nation and other countries to catch of glimpse of The Pope and hear what he had to say.

DAY 1: WEDNESDAY

Pope Francis’s first stop on Wednesday morning was to the White House where he met and talked with President Obama and addressed a crowd of around 11,000. After a Pope-mobile ride through the streets of D.C., he led a prayer at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, accompanied by several hundred US bishops.

Later on Wednesday, he led America’s first canonization mass. This mass was held in honor of Junipero Serra (a Spanish Franciscan missionary) and was held at the Basilica of The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception located on the campus of the Catholic University of America; marking an end to his first public day in the US.

DAY 2: THURSDAY

At around 10 a.m. on Thursday, Pope Francis made the first ever papal address to congress (being one of the very few addresses he will make in English during this visit) where he brought up the issues of climate change and immigration. After this address, he was invited to stop at The Capital’s West Front and view the National Mall.

Not long after, The Pope visited St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese, where he warmly spoke to the parishioners and volunteers and afterwards walked through and blessed the tables of food set up for those in need in the D.C. area. Later that afternoon, the Pope was flown into the John F. Kennedy International Airport arriving in New York and soon after holding a night time service at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

DAY 3: FRIDAY

Friday was a busy day for Pope Francis; it began with a meeting with the United Nations General Assembly, and was followed by a service held at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. That afternoon, he visited Our Lady Queen of Angels School in East Harlem where he was greeted by dozens of excited children and faculty members.   Afterwards, around 80,000 people gathered in Central Park as The Pope road through. He later held a mass at Madison Square Garden ending his time in NYC.

DAY 4: SATURDAY

On Saturday morning 9/26 Pope Francis began his day by arriving at the Atlantic Aviation Hanger at the Philadelphia International Airport. Soon after, he led a mass at The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. Early that evening he visited Independence Mall, home of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Shortly after, The Pope led a prayer at the World Meeting of Families’s Festival (the largest yearly meeting of Catholic families) and was entertained by performers such as the Philadelphia Orchestra and Aretha Franklin.

DAY 5: SUNDAY

On his last day, Sunday, The Pope gathered with Bishops at the St. Martins Chapel of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary for a papal meeting. Later in the morning, he visited the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility where he was presented with a chair built by inmates at a neighboring prison. In the late afternoon he returned to the World Meeting of Families’s Festival where a mass was held. Later he returned to the Atlantic Aviation Hanger where he met and talked with volunteers and contributors to the festival. Finally, Pope Francis boarded a plane and was flown back to his residence in Vatican City – marking an end to the long awaited papal visit in the USA.