On September 26 and 27, the city of Philadelphia will be utterly transformed in preparation for the arrival of Pope Francis. Officials are expecting over 1.5 million visitors to the city.

“We are hosting the largest event in the city’s history,” said Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter. “Make no mistake, the City of Philadelphia will have the world’s attention, and we are doing

our part to be as prepared and coordinated as possible.” FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN CHARTIERS VALLEYFOR FREE WITH THE LATEST UPDATES FROM PATCH. Roads will be closed. Train schedules

will be completely overhauled. The National Guard, Secret Service, Coast Guard, along with state, county, and local law enforcement will be on hand. Meanwhile, the region is celebrating the

inaugural trip to the United States. He will also be traveling to New York City and Washington D.C. The Pope will arrive at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Thursday, Sept. 24. That

evening he will do a prayer (Vespers) at St. Patrick’s Cathedral _(open only to the Clergy of St. Patrick’s Cathedral)._ On Friday, Sept. 25, he will visit the United Nations and Address to

the United Nations General Assembly. At 11:30 a.m., he will conduct a multi-religious service at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, World Trade Center _(ticket lottery closed)._ At 4 p.m. Friday,

he will visit Our Lady Queen of Angels School, East Harlem (_open only to a select group of students and administrators from four Catholic schools in New York, and a gym full of Catholic

Charities representatives)_ He will also do a procession through Central Park (_ticket lottery here_) before a 6 p.m. Mass at Madison Square Garden. Tickets for the mass are reportedly very

limited and not sold to the public; contact your own diocesan chancery office for more information. Pope Francis will arrive at Philadelphia International Airport at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday,

September 26. His first event in Philadelphia will be a 10:30 a.m. mass at Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, a historic church that has stood since 1864. It is the largest brownstone

structure in Philadelphia. This mass is closed to the public. Francis will then proceed to Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, where he will meet with bishops at the chapel there.

This event is also closed to the public. His first public event will follow at Independence National Historical Park in center city Philadelphia, where he will give a speech on religious

freedom and immigration. He will conclude Saturday with an appearance at the Festival of Families on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 7:30 p.m. There will be a variety of entertainment on

hand, including musical and visual “high level performers,” according to the World Meeting of Families’ official site. On Saturday evening, Francis will return to Saint Charles Borromeo

Seminary to sleep. The next morning will be kicked off with another meeting with the bishops at the Seminary at 9:15 a.m. At 11 a.m., as has been a trademark of his reign, Francis will visit

prisoners at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in North Philadelphia. Prisoners there have already prepared a special chair for Francis as a gift. At 4 p.m., the Pope will return to

the Parkway to say the concluding mass for the 2015 World Meeting of Families. He will then meet with organizers of the World Meeting briefly at 7 p.m., before boarding his return flight to

Rome at 8 p.m. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION For the Papal mass on Friday, Sept. 25 at Madison Square Garden, NJ Transit plans to run extra trains to New York and add buses bound for the Port

Authority Bus terminal, according to nj.com. No special ticketing is needed, and the state Department of Transportation will not close eastbound roads to New York for the papal visit there.

SEPTA has been completely overhauled in preparation for the Pope’s arrival. All passengers wishing to use Regional Rail to travel on the weekend of September 26-27 must purchase a special

Papal pass. This pass is the only pass that will be accepted for travel over the weekend. Passes cost $10 a day, and can be purchased at select SEPTA stations around the region. For a list

of locations where passes can be picked up, please see the SEPTA website. SEPTA’s regional rail will only depart from certain stations at certain times. Unless otherwise indicated, all other

stations are closed. Here is a list of all stations operating departing trains, with the arrival station in parenthesis. * Airport Line (Jefferson Station) * Airport Line (University City

Station) * Chestnut Hill West Line (30th Street Station) * Fox Chase Line (Jefferson) * Lansdale/Doylestown - Ft. Washington (Jefferson) * Lansdale/Doylestown - Pennbrook (Jefferson) *

Manayunk/Norristown (Jefferson) * Media/Elwyn - Media (University City) * Media/Elwyn - Primos Station (University City) * Paoli/Thorndale - Paoli Station (30th Street) * Paoli/Thorndale -

Radnor Station (30th Street) * Trenton - Cornwells Heights (30th Street) * Trenton - Levittown (30th Street) * Warminster (Jefferson) * West Trenton (Jefferson) * Wilmington/Newark -

Wilmington Station (30th Street) * Wilmington/Newark - Marcus Hook (30th Street) To alleviate congestion, two travel time slots will depart for center city in the morning. Trains will begin

leaving between 5:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., and then again from 8:30 a.m. until noon. Cornwell Heights will only depart from 5:30 until 8:30, while Croydon will only leave from 8:30 a.m. until

noon. Return service will be between 5:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. There will be no service from center city to outlying stations during the morning travel period, and no service to center city

from outlying stations in the evening travel period. Buses and trolleys are also operating on modified schedules, in addition to the Norristown High Speed Line. See the full schedule on the

SEPTA site. During the weekend of Sept. 26 and 27, NJ Transit regular tickets will not be accepted and the agency will not be operating regular weekend service on either the Atlantic City

Rail Line or the River Line. Special tickets went on sale beginning Saturday, Aug. 15 for people planning to ride the Atlantic City Rail Line and River Line as the routes will only operate

on a limited schedule on both days. Customers need to purchase their NJ Transit tickets in advance of this weekend. No one will be allowed to ride without a special event ticket and no

tickets will be sold on Saturday, Sept. 26 or Sunday, Sept. 27. No other fares, including monthly passes, Family SuperSaver or cash, will be accepted on the Atlantic City Rail Line or River

Line. PATCO, which crosses from New Jersey into Philadelphia over the Ben Franklin Bridge, will also be operating a modified schedule. Only special passes will be accepted to ride PATCO on

September 26 and 27. One day passes are $5 and two day passes are $10. They can be purchased here. PATCO will operate from four of its New Jersey stations: And all service will run to only

one Philadelphia station, at 9th/10th and Locust. ROAD CLOSURES The most significant road closure during the Papal visit is the Ben Franklin Bridge. In addition, the following highways will

be closed. These roads will close at 10 p.m. Friday and open at 12:00 a.m. Monday. * I-676 in both directions from I-76 to I-95 * I-76 eastbound from I-476 to I-95 * I-76 westbound from I-95

to US Route 1 * US Route 1 in both directions from US Route 30 to Belmont Avenue (Pope Francis is staying overnight at Wynnewood’s at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary) * I-95 will be open

but certain ramps will be closed Within the city itself, a “traffic box” surrounding center city and parts of University City has been established. Cars will be able to travel inside the

green lines below, but they will not be allowed to exit. _Image courtesy Mayor Nutter’s office._ Meanwhile, significant traffic is expected on other major roads throughout the region that

will remain open. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is working with officials to ensure that construction will not slow traffic in sensitive areas over the weekend. Road closures

and the huge influx of visitors will create severe traffic in the suburbs. Route 422 is one major road likely to be affected. All residents and visitors are advised to avoid traveling by

private vehicle, especially toward the city, whenever possible on September 26 and 27. SECURITY Montgomery County announced on August 23 that 600 National Guard troops had been requested for

the weekend of September 26 and 27. The personnel, requested from the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, will help with traffic control, crowd control, and infrastructure security.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Montgomery County and its residents to experience something as important and inspirational as a Papal visit,” Josh Shapiro, chair of the

Montgomery County Commissioners, said in a press release. “The eyes of the world will be on our region, and I am confident that the long term benefits of Pope Francis’ visit will far

outweigh the temporary inconveniences we might face. Our entire Public Safety Department and all of their local and regional partners have worked hard to help ensure inconveniences are

minimized and safety is maximized.” In addition, the county has asked for helicopters, boats, refueling trucks, and other personnel to assist the Joint Rapid Response Teams and other

supporting teams working to keep both motorists and those on boats safe. The county’s Bomb Squad has also been training in anticipation of the weekend, and the Secret Service is organizing

security in the city. In New Jersey, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office is taking the lead as “incident command,” according to nj.com, but the Secret Service has been tasked with

protecting the Pope, with help from the FBI and New Jersey State Police. Partnerships have also extended to Burlington, Gloucester and Salem counties in planning for emergency situations

that could occur. BUSINESSES The City of Philadelphia has launched a hotline to help area businesses prepare for the big weekend in September. The Philadelphia Department of Commerce has

launched a hotline that will be available Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to p.m. The hotline is available via phone at 215-683-2100 and email at [email protected]. Other questions can be

answered at the city’s information center for the Pope’s visit, here. II. PAGEANTRY A Pope has not visited Philadelphia since Pope John Paul II came here in 1979. He spent time at Logan

Circle, the Convention Center, and the Civic Center, saying mass and speaking to the crowd. He also visited a shrine in Doylestown. Like Francis, John Paul visited the historic Cathedral

Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul and said mass there. Over a million people were present. Francis’ visit in 2015 is of huge cultural and historical significance, and the Philadelphia region is

sparing no effort in an opulent display of pageantry. BOBBLEHEADS AND OTHER PARAPHERNALIA The World Meeting of Families, the event prompting the Pope’s Keystone State visit, has launched a

retail website. In addition to the ever-popular bobblehead ($25), the website is offering an array of papal products, including plush dolls, t-shirts, posters and more. For those who want to

feel the Pope’s presence even before the September event, there is a 69” life-sized Pope Francis statue for sale ($160). Don’t have the interior space for that? A 10” tabletop Pope Francis

is available for $20. There are also rosary beads, gifts, coffee mugs and tote bags. Click here to view the site. BEERS Two special beers have brewed in honor of the Pope’s arrival to

Philadelphia. Philadelphia Brewing Co. has produced a new beer, appropriately titled “Holy Wooder,” in conjunction with the papal visit. The beer is a draft-only Belgian style Tripel, which,

naturally, was developed in conjunction with the South Philly bar known as The Pub on Passyunk East (POPE.) The Philadelphia Brewing Co. offering, in its logo, describes itself as “The

Official Beer of the Pope,” although it’s unclear whether or not that designation has the backing of the Vatican. Holy Wooder is not to be confused with YOPO- You Only Pope Once- a brew

developed by the Cape May Brewing Company. Cape May Brewing Company’s #YOPO will be available by mid-September, just in time for Pope Francis’ arrival. The company described the beer as a

“Papal themed small batch Pale Ale,” that includes an “unholy amount of hops.” “You only Pope once: that’s the motto, people, #YOPO,” the brewery wrote on their Facebook page. When ready,

the beer will be available in select locations in southern New Jersey and the Philadelphia area. Sales representatives with the brewery note that the beer will pair well with a cut of

Argentinean beef, Francis’ home nation, the Chicago Sun Times reports. POPEBOT Wandering across the ragged globe, relying upon the kindness of strangers, innocent metallic eyes looking out

upon the vagaries of a cold world, Hitch Bot infamously met its bloody end in the city of brotherly love. Weeks later, a region that had reminded itself of its dark underbelly - from booing

Santa Claus and pelting a left fielder with batteries, to “destroying” a kindly robot - solemnly prepared for a visit from one of the world’s most distinguished emissaries of morality and

Christianity. Yet in the molten ashes of Hitchbot, in the anxious hours leading up to arrival of the leader of the Vatican, a different kind of entity was borne upon southeastern

Pennsylvania. His name is Pope Bot. You can also call him the ”Papal Robot Hitchhiker,” as his creators at WMMR do: > “Hello, I’m Pope Bot. Inspired by my friend, #HitchBot, who > 

sadly met his demise in Philadelphia, I am taking a journey around > the Delaware Valley. The goal of my adventure is to prove to the > Vatican that this area is a safe environment for

 the leader of the > church. Plus, there is a prize each week for one person who gives me > a lift! >  > Check the hashtag #PopeBotPhilly and all my social media accounts to >

 see where I am and where I have been.” The Papal Robot Hitchhiker was being carted through several Montgomery and Chester County locations late on recent afternoon, and was spotted at the

Plymouth Meeting Mall at around 4:30 p.m. He also paid his respects to Valley Forge in the afternoon, and posed for photos at the Exton Square Mall and at the Wegmans market locations in

Malvern and Bryn Mawr earlier in the day. The Papal Robot Hitchhiker is social media savvy, and has created accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Observers have said that Pope Bot

represents a unique second opportunity for the people of Pennsylvania. “Dear Phila: Please, please be kind to @PopeBotPhilly! This is our chance for a major do-over!” Donna Crilley Farrell

commented on Twitter. Pope Bot later worked his way toward Center City Philadelphia to 4th and Market Street, where he appeared on air with Mike and Alex on Fox 29 at 7 a.m. the next

morning, according to his Facebook page. The Papal Robot is undoubtedly on a mission. “Let’s show the rest of the country,” he wrote decisively on Twitter, “How kind (gentle &

responsible) we can be.” Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.