PHILADELPHIA — Pope Francis celebrated Mass with hundreds of thousands in the streets of the City of Brotherly Love on Sunday, closing his historic six-day visit to the U.S. where he drew big and enthusiastic crowds wherever he went.

His visit to Philadelphia, the third leg of his U.S. trip that also took him to New York and Washington, coincided with the World Meeting of Families, and Francis used his final scheduled public appearance of the trip to connect faith with family.

In his homily, Francis told the faithful that much like happiness, “holiness is always tied to little gestures.”

“These little gestures are those we learn at home, in the family; they get lost amid all the other things we do, yet they do make each day different,” Francis said. “They are the quiet things done by mothers and grandmothers, by fathers and grandfathers, by children. They are little signs of tenderness, affection and compassion.”

At the conclusion of his Mass, Francis made one small personal request. “I ask you to pray for me,” Francis said. “Don’t forget!”

Read the article “Hundreds of Thousands Flood Philly for Pope Francis’ Final U.S. Mass” on usatoday.com.