World Meeting of Families – Philadelphia 2015 is just days away.

The congress itself, themed “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive,” runs September 22-25. The grand finale, so to speak will be Pope Francis’ visit September 26-27.

Families and individuals from around the world will be attending, and WMOF organizers are expecting upwards of 15,000 attending the Congress September 22-25; more than 1 million attending the Festival of Families on September 26, and at least 1.5 million attending the People Mass on September 27.

Sources tell me that this will be the biggest World Meeting of Families ever, in terms of attendance.

I’ll be joining other wonderful writers in covering both for the Register from a feature and news perspective and will be blogging daily about my adventures in Philadelphia.

That’s reason enough to be excited about this historic event. But there are more.

Even if you’re not attending any of the events, there are plenty of reasons to be hyped about World Meeting of Families.

Here are just five:

1. EWTN will be running live coverage throughout. That means you can take it all in on your smart phone, computer, laptop, or television. Whether you are there in person or not, the view will be terrific.
2. This is Pope Francis’ first visit to the United States. In November, 2014 he announced his intention to attend the WMOF, and preparations have been underway since to give him a warm and lasting welcome. In addition to WMOF, he will meet with President Obama, canonize Junipero Serra (Spanish missionary responsible for 21 of the California missions), address a Joint Meeting of Congress, and address the United Nations General Assembly. All of these events are huge, not only from the aspect of the Catholic Church, but also in the world politics arena.
3. Of course there is a lineup of great speakers, but there also is a lineup of excellent entertainers who will be performing at the Festival of Families: Mark Wahlberg, Aretha Franklin, The Fray, Maria Miller, Jim Gaffigan, Jackie Evancho, Sister Sledge, Andrea Bocelli, Juanez, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Matt Maher.
4. This is our chance to stand up for the family. Our numbers and enthusiasm display what’s in our hearts. By participating through prayer, attendance, or even following the live stream, we are making a statement about our confidence and belief in the traditional family as a mainstay of society and a nonnegotiable part of God’s plan.
5. Simultaneous to the Adult Congress, there will be a Youth Congress, which is geared specifically to nurture and encourage young people. By no means is this advanced daycare; rather it’s the rightful attention and respect for those will be sitting in the pews once we’re all gone. The youth are the future of the Church. There isn’t anything more exciting than that!

I’m really looking forward to heading out to Philadelphia in order to cover these marvelous events for you.

Even more, I’m looking forward to millions of Catholics worldwide pausing their busy lives to, at least for a few days, lend themselves to celebrating the family and all it stands for.

Love is indeed our mission, and the family is indeed fully alive.

Let’s prove that to the world during the World Meeting of Families.