PHILADELPHIA — With 15,000 people from more than 150 nations expected to attend the World Meeting of Families Congress and nearly 1 million expected at the Festival of Families, there will be a host of details needing attention. With that many people converging on the city of Philadelphia for the Pope’s visit, undoubtedly, circumstances will arise that will require special skills.

For that, World Meeting of Families’ organizers will be counting on their dedicated volunteers — 10,581 of them, at the time of this writing — to see that everything goes smoothly and everyone is cared for.

“The World Meeting of Families-Philadelphia 2015 has been thrilled by the tremendous enthusiasm and interest that we have received in relation to our volunteer program,” said Suzanne Kinkel, director of volunteer services. “The participation of our dedicated volunteers is a crucial component to the success of the World Meeting of Families-Philadelphia 2015. Through the roles they perform, they will be providing invaluable assistance during the week of the World Meeting of Families Congress and the weekend of the papal visit.”

Volunteers are coming from all 50 of the United States, according to Kinkel. Most are from Philadelphia and the surrounding area, but some are coming from as far away as Hawaii. New Jersey and New York, with 1830 and 323 registered volunteers respectively, take the lead in numbers of volunteers outside of Pennsylvania.

Volunteers will not only give of their time and talents, but they also are responsible for their own travel and lodging arrangements. Yet that hasn’t stopped people like Mark Anderson.

Anderson, a North America regional manager for a Swiss electrical equipment company, will be flying in from a business trip just in time to take on his volunteer duties. In order to free his schedule, Anderson has taken vacation time. He has been assigned to “Special Services,” the area responsible for helping the elderly, disabled and people in need of other kinds of support during the events.

“The role of the special-services volunteers is what I do normally, like when I volunteer at the nursing home and in other ways,” he said. “I also have been trained in CPR and first aid, as a Boy Scout leader. So those kinds of things are part of the experience I have that I could make available.”

Anderson’s main goal is to serve. But he also has in mind a certain biblical character for which he feels an affinity.

“It’s just like the chapter in the Bible where Zacchaeus climbs up in the tree to be able to see Jesus go by,” he said. “This is my chance to climb up in the tree and to see the Pope go by. And it means a lot to me to be able to be there and to be around so many Christian people who are practicing their faith. And it’s all about families — it’s the World Meeting of Families. Families are important, and that’s the reason I want to be there.”

Being there requires that volunteers be 18 years of age or older and pass a level-three background check, in accordance with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s volunteer protocol. Volunteers choose the capacity in which they’d most like to serve. “There are more than 100 event opportunities for volunteer involvement, giving every interested individual an opportunity to be included in this once-in-a-lifetime occasion,” Kinkel said. After receiving an assignment, volunteers participated in Web-based training to prepare them for their responsibilities. Once on site, they will be given badge IDs, a uniform and a volunteer backpack, as well as some additional training, before going on to their final assignments.

“It’s all very well organized,” said Rae-Maria Smith, administrative aide to Philadelphia Council President Darrell Clarke. “They went over everything that would be expected of us as volunteers, how we should conduct ourselves, and so forth. And of course, the primary thing is to ensure that our guests will be well taken care of.”

Smith will work in “Guest Relations,” doing things like verifying credentials and escorting speakers and dignitaries in the Philadelphia Convention Center. Her background as a former social worker and then as council president aide, as well as being a minister of hospitality at her parish, gives her the perfect qualities for the job.

“It’s the chance of a lifetime to be able to be involved in this historic event,” she said. “I want to experience it in terms of helping. It’s the first time that the World Meeting of Families is being held in the United States, and I’m particularly proud that it’s in Philadelphia.”

Tony Saldutti recently retired from his job as a process engineer for Kraft Foods. For Saldutti, retirement isn’t relaxation; it’s service. He volunteers in a number of ways for his parish and community. Volunteering in “Special Services” is right up his alley.

“The Pope is the most important person in this world,” he said. “God gave him the job to represent the people of the world and to lead the Catholics. What sets me on fire is his authority and ability to share with people of the world what God accepts and doesn’t accept, in terms of the decisions made as a government or as a people. It’s a no-brainer. It’s not like you really have to give it a lot of thought. You put aside everything you possibly can just to be a part of it. I’m very happy, very blessed, to get the opportunity to do this.”

Marge Fenelon writes from Cudahy, Wisconsin.

She will cover the World Meeting of Families for the Register.