Philadelphia — Pope bobblehead? Pope button? Vatican flags? Name a souvenir and you could surely find it on the streets of Philadelphia.

Pope Francis has expressed his disdain for capitalism. But that didn't matter to the Philadelphia vendors who are cashing in on his visit.

Amy Lavallie of Cleveland, Ohio, said she and a small group of vendors from her city have been following the pope.

They went to Washington, D.C., to hawk buttons and Vatican City flags. She said they skipped New York because the security was too tight

"We did really well in Washington and we expect to sell out here," Lavallie said.

Street vendors were not the only ones taking advantage of the pope's expected arrival. A 7-Eleven on JFK Boulevard was also selling pope plush dolls.

The streets of the Historic District in Philadelphia were bustling, but as pilgrims made their way to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, security was notably tight.

City workers were erecting barricades and cement barriers all along Market Street.

Transportation Security Administration screeners and officers from around the country directed people to power on their electronic devices and walk through metal detectors.

Inside the security zone, streets were closed to motor vehicle traffic except for security vehicles.

People from all over the country and the world walked in the streets instead of on the sidewalks.

About 150 people from the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Ga., wandered the streets, some reciting the Rosary in English and Spanish.

James O'Grady, part of the Atlanta contingent, said part of their time in Philadelphia would be spent doing missionary work.

"We just want to open up our hearts a little to receive the message of the pope to grow our faith," O'Grady said.

On Benjamin Franklin Parkway, people made their way to its intersection with 18th Street, where the Catherdral of Sts. Peter and Paul is located.

At the Cathedral, the Knotted Grotto, an installation by artist Meg Saligman commissioned by Project Home to bring awareness to hunger and homelessness in the city, invited people to take a ribbon and write their intention or struggle and either hang it on a fence or on the grotto itself, which looks like a dome-shaped lattice.

There were more than 100,000 ribbons attached to the grotto, according to Laura Burnham, who was helping pass out ribbons.

One ribbon asked for "God to bless my family, especially my children and my Nonnie." Another ribbon asked for "World Peace" and yet another asked for "forgiveness and acceptance."

Earlier Friday morning, the pilgrims from the Diocese of Norwich traveled to the shrines of St. Katharine Drexel in Bensalem and of St. John Neumann in Philadelphia.

Laura Howe of Norwich was one of those pilgrims. She took time off from her job at the Student Affairs Office at Norwich Free Academy to make the pilgrimage.

While she was baptized as a Catholic as a baby, her mother didn't go to church, she said. And when she married, her husband, Brian, nearly 35 years ago, they  attended a Baptist church. But she didn't feel complete.

Five years ago, the couple took classes in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults classes and received the sacraments of Eucharist, or holy communion, and Confirmation.

"We both knew something was missing in our lives," Howe said. "We weren't feeling connected to God. God came into our lives when we needed it the most. We learned that the most important things in life are God first, then family and friends. We can take whatever else comes into our lives."

Howe said Pope Francis has re-energized the faith.

Months into his papacy, Pope Francis said the church should be a "field hospital," emphasizing the importance of giving mercy and tending to all of God's children.

"He loves everybody, regardless of your sins," Howe said. "I really feel one way to get closer to God is through the pope."

Dorothy Ciliano, a parishioner of St. Agnes in Niantic and a retired school teacher, said she likes to go to pilgrimages because it brings her more awareness of God's love.

Ciliano said her Catholic faith has been her guiding force through good and bad times.

"It's challenging to be a truly practicing Catholic, but I can't imagine living my life without the sacraments and the faith community," she said.

Ciliano said she believes Pope Francis will bring people back into the fold.

"I think he is having people re-examine why they left the church," she said. "I feel so blessed to be Catholic. I feel so blessed to be on this trip."

The Most Rev. Michael R. Cote, D.D, bishop of the Diocese of Norwich, joined the local pilgrims at the National Shrine of St. John Neumann.

Cote said he saw Pope Francis at the meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington.

"Our Holy Father is very spiritual and very, very human," Cote said to the group. "I don't care who you are. It's a combination that is just attractive."

i.larraneta@theday.com

Twitter: @larraneta