By Ana Rodriguez Soto - The Archdiocese of Miami

Photography: ANA RODRIGUEZ-SOTO | FC

PEMBROKE PINES | Do it again!

That was the reaction of many of those who attended the first ever Archdiocesan Family Picnic, held at C.B. Smith Park Oct. 10.

The picnic featured monster trucks and food trucks, music and motorcycles � namely the archbishop’s � teachings and testimonies, Mass and enough birthday cupcakes for everybody � since the archbishop’s birthday is Oct. 18.

South Florida’s mini-version of the World Festival of Families also featured Pope Francis � in cutout form. He didn’t seem to mind as dozens posed next to him for photos and the roar of motorcycles and Kid Monster Trucks enveloped him around mid-morning.

Granted, Pembroke Pines was about 30 degrees hotter than Philadelphia a few weeks ago.

“I told the sisters to pray for no rain,” said Stephen Colella, whose office of Evangelization and Parish Life organized the picnic. “I think they prayed too hard.”

So the best spots at this festival were not in the grass nearest the front of the stage, but in the grassy knoll under the trees to the side of it.

The scene had Biblical connotations for William Young of St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Pembroke Pines, one of the Miami pilgrims who saw Pope Francis in Washington, D.C.

“This must be like Jesus’ time � on a hill, under the tree. Who needs a church?” said Young.

The 400 people in attendance began arriving around 9 a.m., carrying chairs and blankets, coolers and umbrellas � and some, even pup tents. They came from as far north as Parkland, on the northwestern fringe of Broward County, and as far south as Miami's St. Dominic Church, which brought a sizable contingent.

Men from St. Mark’s Emmaus group served as parking attendants, later switching to ushers during Communion.

Susan Frezer of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Coral Springs, came early and, bucking the trend, sat right up front in the open field.

“This is a big deal. How often do you get to see the archbishop? I don’t. Very exciting,” she said.

“I don’t need to sit in the shade,” she added. “I’ll sit here for a couple of hours and wait for him. I’ve got my sunscreen on, snacks, a magazine. I’m all set.”

To pass the time, some boys rode their skateboards on the concrete or tossed footballs in the field. Lola, a face painter, also was on hand to ply her trade on the children.

A “picnic band” composed of several volunteer musicians � among them Lorelle Watkins of the Office of Evangelization and Parish Life � provided the music. The Children’s Chorale of St. Bonaventure Parish in Davie also sang during the Mass.

In between the singing, Ennie and Cana Hickman of Houston-based Adore Ministries shared their testimony of what it means to be a family � from the idealism of their dating days and wedding proposal to the daily reality of raising seven children.

“Family is not always easy,” Ennie Hickman said. But he stressed that “our genetic code is the same as God’s,” which means we are built for life-giving love.

The day before, Hickman had led a day-long workshop on putting the New Evangelization into practice at the parish level, and led a night of adoration at St. Mark Church in Southwest Ranches.

Also giving testimony Saturday morning: Melissa Guarino, 22, who traveled to Cuba Sept. 19-21 for the visit of Pope Francis. She noted her small group of young adult pilgrims brought about 400 rosaries to pass out in Havana.

“It was humbling to see the desperation in their faces and in their voices” as people, young and old, reached out to grab the rosaries, which are rare items in the communist nation.

The young adults got to spend an afternoon with about 5,000 of their Cuban peers, waiting for the meeting with Pope Francis Sept. 20 behind Havana’s cathedral.

Guarino noted that everyone became hot and agitated as the hours of waiting accumulated, but “as soon as Pope Francis came out all that went away.”

She does not speak Spanish, she said, but she realized “language is not a barrier for the Holy Spirit.”

“I had no idea what (the pope) was saying,” she noted, but she was so moved, “I started crying.”

Among those who took advantage of the day to spend time with family was Marie San Roman of Mary Help of Christians Parish in Parkland. She brought along her daughter-in-law and five granddaughters. “I enjoyed it. It was beautiful,” she said.

San Roman prepares children for first Communion and makes sure her grandchildren learn the faith as well. “This is the first time that my daughter-in-law is at Mass. And she loved it,” San Roman added.

“This is as close as we could get to Philadelphia. I hope you do it every year,” said Jacqueline Cinnante, a homeschooling mother of five from St. Gregory Church in Plantation.

She noted that there aren’t any organizations for Catholic homeschoolers in Broward as there are in Miami-Dade, and added: “It’s nice to have the camaraderie of families. We’re still families, trying to practice our faith in this difficult world.”

Corrected Oct. 16: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish is in Coral Springs, not Pompano Beach, as stated in an earlier version of this article.