Philadelphia — At 7:20 Saturday evening, after they had walked 7 miles or more and waited in security checkpoint lines and not made it to Pope Francis' speech or even the Jumbotrons showing his speech, the faithful who journeyed to this city to see and hear the pope saw and heard this: a roar of motorcycles followed by cheers. And then the pope in the popemobile.

He waved to the crowd, who yelled and cheered.

"I started to cry," said Laura Howe, a pilgrim from Norwich. "I was so happy I started to shake. I couldn't believe that I was blessed to see him."

Before that, it was the Catholic version of a tailgating party awaiting the main event.

Instead of foam fingers, there were Vatican City flags. Instead of painted faces, there were placards of the pope.

And instead of rooting for different teams, more than 500,000 Saturday were all on team Pope Francis.

The pilgrims from the Diocese of Norwich arrived hours before the pope was scheduled to speak at Independence Hall. Some, however, missed most if not all of his speech. Streets along the City Center were blocked off to pedestrian traffic.

It took some pilgrims more than an hour to get to the first of dozens of Transportation Security Administration security checkpoints scattered along the city.

And once they got to the TSA screeners, they had to wait up to an hour to get through.

"It's like when you go to football game," said Sandra Calabro, a retired nurse from North Stonington and diehard fan of the University of Michigan. "When you go to a game, you don't really see much of it. You would probably see more of the game if you had stayed at home. But it's all about the experience and the energy you share with the people."

That is what Saturday's event was for Calabro: sharing a connection with people. She said even if she didn't get to see the pope, she wouldn't be disappointed.

"It's about being part of something greater," Calabro said. "It's just a blessing to be here."

Terry Abdoo King of Arlington, Va., was able to hear Pope Francis' speech. She said his message was one of tolerance.

"He just wants us all to get along," said Abdoo King. "I know it's simplistic to be kind, but it's important to remember that we are a nation of immigrants. We need to be accepting of each other."

The streets of Philadelphia were jam-packed, lined six deep with people trying to get to the nearest Jumbotron screen to hear and see the musical acts and other entertainment.

Comedian Jim Gaffigan, who entertained the waiting crowds, joked about the security and the masses of people.

"I'm only staying a few blocks from here and it took me, like, five hours to get here," Gaffigan said, prompting laughter.

The pilgrims knew that the chances of seeing the pope were slim, but they wanted to participate in this historic, spiritual event.

"We all just feel connected," said Sarah Beaudin of Niantic. "It's a marvelous time for our church. When I see the pope, I feel like I'm in the presence of God. I never felt this connection before with any other pope."

Beaudin said part of the pope's appeal is that he doesn't come across as rigid.

"He's personable," she said. "He smiles. He kisses little babies. He embraces the elderly. I'm very impressed by him."

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Miriam Stepanian, also of Niantic, said she couldn't sleep the night before leaving for the pilgrimage Thursday.

"I felt like a little kid on the night before going to Disney World," Stepanian said. "I was so excited."

She said she feels a sense a community with her group of pilgrims and with the hundreds of thousands who are in Philadelphia.

"I can pray freely and no one will even think twice about it," Stepanian said. "I can't do that back home without getting criticized. I feel like this experience is deepening my relationship with the Lord."

The pilgrims had to take the regional rail service to get to the city and another train to get back to their coach buses.

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Allen King of Philadelphia, a member of St. Malachy Church in the city, was one of 25 people who won tickets to attend the official events.

His parish has around 1,000 members, he said. He rode the train to get to the events.

"This just brings me a lot of joy," King said. "His message is going to rejuvenate me."

Pope Francis' trip to the city and to the United States will culminate with a Mass near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway Sunday afternoon.

i.larraneta@theday.com

Twitter: @larraneta