Bucks County welcomes the Pope

James Boyle, the Wire

Final preparations are underway for Pope Francis’ planned visit to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families. The spotlight will shine bright on the city as officials set up traffic boxes and tight security measures for the two days the pope will spend, Saturday, Sept. 26, and Sunday, Sept. 27.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA[/caption]

But that’s just two days of a weeklong conference that will host thousands of Catholics from all over the world. The magnifying glass will be sharp enough to bring the surrounding communities into focus as well as creating an opportunity that Bucks County will not pass up.

“We know of at least four hotels that are completely full,” said Paul Bencivengo, vice president of the Bucks County Tourism Office. “I’ve been hearing from lots of bed & breakfasts that are booked up, as well. This is a great chance for us to put Bucks County on people’s radars.”

The tourism office is on a media blitz to get the word out about the county’s sights and restaurants, Bencivengo said. Ad space has been purchased in the official visitor’s guide created for the World Meeting of Families, plus additional advertising in local newspapers and Google adwords that will help Bucks attractions show up on the search engine.

A short, two-minute video about Bucks County will run on the local information channels at Center City hotels, inviting guests to take a break from the city and check out the countryside.

“We are going to have representatives from our office set up in the lobbies at Bucks County hotels,” said Bencivengo. “We’ve never done that before, but we want to make sure we generate as much buzz as possible.”

There are some obvious choices that pop to Bencivengo’s mind for must-see Bucks destinations, especially the Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine in Doylestown and the National Shrine of St. Katharine Drexel in Bensalem.

Other highlights featured on the Visit Bucks County website include Peddler’s Village, the New Hope/Ivyland Railroad and Pennsbury Manor. For the tourism office, the plan is to create a lasting impression that will bring a lucrative return on the investment.

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JACK FIRNENO / WIRE PHOTO The Our Lady of Czestochowa Shrine in Doylestown is expected to be a destination for pilgrims during the Pope’s visit to Philadelphia.[/caption]

“There’s going to be people coming from all over, the Midwest, Canada,” said Bencivengo. “Even if they don’t get a chance to see the countryside this time, we want to be in their minds when they think about making a return trip.”

Some special souvenir opportunities will also play a strong role in making a Bucks County visit memorable. The Byers Choice Christmas Museum and visitor center in Chalfont offers an exclusive caroler designed by Joyce Byers to mark the World Meeting of Families and the papal visit. The 2015 St. Nicholas figure is available for $77 at the gift shop.

The Moravian Pottery & Tile Works has replicas of the commemorative tile presented to Pope Francis by Gov. Tom Corbett and first lady Susan Corbett during their visit to the Vatican in 2014. The design, made from Bucks County red clay, is among Henry Mercer’s original line of tiles from 1905 and features representations of the four gospel writers.

St. Matthew is represented by a winged angel and St. Mark by a winged lion for majesty and power. St. Luke is symbolized as sacrifice with a winged ox and an eagle showing resurrection represents St. John.

Smaller tiles featuring just one of the four evangelists are available for purchase for $16.20 each, or a larger decorative plaque with all four is available for $169.95. They can be bought either at the visitor center in Bensalem, or at the Moravian Pottery & Tile Works in Doylestown, where a purchase includes a free tour.

Bucks County’s contribution to the World Meeting of Families and the papal visit will also be represented in Philadelphia. Langhorne Carpet Company, based in Penndel, will donate three custom carpets to be used during the pope’s visit.

Based on Langhorne’s original “Medallion of Hope” design, the 75-foot by 9-foot carpet will be rolled out and used during Pope Francis’ arrival and departure at Atlantic Aviation, and two room accent carpets will be used inside the rectory of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.

The airport carpet, presented in cardinal red and gothic gold, features the decorative medallion border inspired by a section of the Cathedral Basilica’s stained glass windows. It requires nearly 191,000 yards of yarn (more than 100 miles) and will consist of more than 1 million individual woven loops.

The carpets in the Cathedral rectory will feature the same signature medallion motif with the repeating six-inch diameter medallions.