The day of the Pope's Mass in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Kathleen Curran was helping her godchildren prepare to see the pontiff, making sure each had packed their rosaries. She first came to this place 12 years ago to learn Spanish. Now, the 47-year-old high school teacher from Detroit considers Bolivia a home away from home, but seeing the poverty here has forced her to question her faith.

Both women, Kathleen and Stephanie, are in very different places in their lives, but as they journeyed to see Pope Francis in Latin America, questions of faith confronted them each. They traveled thousands of miles to hear the message of a man who they felt could help them find clarity.