Locals becoming host families for World Meeting

Millions of people are expected to visit Philadelphia to see the Pope during next year's World Meeting of Families they will all need somewhere to stay.

For a unique experience, you may consider hosting a family.

Renee Bowen of Wayne says her church, Saint Katherine of Sienna, reached out to her congregation, asking that members volunteer for the Pope's visit and she knew exactly how she wanted to help.

"Right away I thought I'd love to open my home to somebody that I don't know yet," Bowen said.

Unlike the papal visit in 1979 when Pope John Paul ll visited Philadelphia. As part of a larger U.S. visit, Pope Francis is coming to the city for the World Meeting of Families.

"We know that we're going to have visitors to Philadelphia from more than 150 different countries," World Meeting of Families Executive Director Donna Farrell said.

Organized by the Catholic Church, the World Meeting will fill up hotel space rapidly. The archdiocese is counting on thousands more families like Renee Bowen's to open up their homes to people attending the four-day event.

When Milan hosted the World Meeting of Families in 2012, they had 50,000 beds provided by host families like Renee.

"So we have built our profile online to describe what we have to offer; we've put photos of our home and the room and our family," Bowen said.

Next month, people around the world who are planning to come to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families and the pope's visit will be able to go on line and find the perfect host family.

The Bowens will be able to host a couple and one small child next September.

The archdiocese is extremely thankful and hopeful.

"We really need people to open their homes," Farrell said. "The world is coming and we have to have someplace for them to stay."

LINK: To find out how you can volunteer http://www.worldmeeting2015.org/get-involved/host-a-family/