Philly is known for its rowdy tailgate parties. Whether it’s going down to the Jetro parking lot before Eagles and Phillies games, or setting up in stadium parking for concerts and shows at the Well Fargo Center, Philadelphians simply “get it” when it comes to blacktop parties with lawn chairs, coolers and grills. Even if the Birds didn’t take the field last Sunday (instead, they played on Monday Night Football and disappointed us all with a 24-26 loss to Atlanta), tailgaters were out in force in Port Richmond. But they weren’t gearing up the start of the NFL season. Instead, a hodgepodge of local residents were gathered to celebrate the coming of Pope Francis.

An estimated 350 people came together in the parking lot of St. George Catholic Elementary School (2700 E. Venango St.) following a noon community Mass to enjoy fun and food in what was a Meeting of Families of their own. St. George’s has been in Port Richmond since 1902 and has always been a small, family-oriented school with a close-knit community. This sense of togetherness was evident on Sunday when the blacktop erupted into a full-blown party featuring generations of St. George students, alumni and friends.

“Our pastoral council got together and wanted to celebrate Pope Francis’ visit in a special way,” Dan Markowski, St. George’s principal, said. “Since it is the World Meeting of Families we wanted to do something special but informal at the same time. We planned our community Mass at noon and are following it up with our pope tailgate party.”

There was plenty of pope-themed fun for everyone at the tailgate. Each faculty member teamed up and set up stations for different age levels with pope-themed activities, like temporary pope tattoos and “pass the papal,” kind of like hot potato but with a pope-themed balloon. Children enjoyed various tailgate games and danced along to tunes provided by DJ Patty-Pat Kozlowski, adults relaxed in lawn chairs and watched their little ones play, everyone took selfies with a Pope Francis cardboard cutout and there was plenty of food. Many families brought their own contributions to the party and hot dogs with sauerkraut, soft pretzels, water ice, even pope popcorn were available as well. Stock’s also donated baked goods so that there would be enough food for everyone.

This was a refreshing take on a papal visit that has caused a lot of stress across the region. Transit closures, blocked-off streets and increased security measures have all led to a lot of negativity toward the World Meeting of Families. Monsignor Joseph Anderlonis, pastor of St. George, was in Philadelphia the last time a papal visit occurred when Pope John Paul II visited in 1979. Anderlonis said that John Paul’s visit was “a lot less hectic than this.”

“That is one of the reasons we are doing this [party],” Anderlonis said. “Most people are not going to be able to go [downtown for the Papal Mass] but we wanted to catch the spirit of his visit. So we had a church service and a party. Let’s not just pray, let’s rejoice.”

Anderlonis continued:

“In spite of all the stuff they are saying — difficulties with this, difficulties with that — I think we should be excited for Pope Francis’ visit. First of all, he probably the most famous figure in the world right now. He’s coming to Philly and the city needs big boost. And, of course, he’s put a new energy into the Catholic church.”

The faculty at St. George have been trying to instill this new energy in their students. Mayor Michael Nutter said that Philly schools will close from Wednesday, September 23 through Friday, September 26. Officials will decide if students will have class on Monday, September 28 at a later date. Because of this, Markowski said his teachers are holding off on traditional coursework until after the visit. Instead, teachers have used the pope’s visit to teach about the pope and the significance of the visit.

“We’re holding off on all the traditional things you teach during the school year because there’s limited time before we have all these days off,” Markowski said. “Our focus the past two weeks has been the importance of the Pope, knowing the significance of this to our faith, and what it means for us as not only people in Philadelphia but also of the Saint George community.”

Students (and some faculty members) were excited about the six days off from school, but the community was thrilled for the opportunity to come together for the pope tailgate party.

“It’s unique that we have the opportunity to be part of this in our church, our community and as Catholics — to have a Pope come visit our area is a special thing that some may take for granted,” Markowski said. “We are just excited.”

Here are More Photos from the event: