It could have been a Beatles concert for the size of the crowd spread out over the expanse of the Abbotsford airport just over the border in British Columbia

The throng was better mannered, though, as participants anticipated a truly religious experience – and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

They gathered in anticipation of the arrival of Pope John Paul II and a papal Mass as the pontiff wound down his historic 12-day visit to Canada.

It was a warm September Tuesday in 1984, and people came from all over Canada and the United States to see the man anointed the vicar of Christ, a pontiff admired by Roman Catholics and Protestants alike.

The bulk of the audience was arranged in wooden pens each containing about 1,000 people. Between them, there was room for a vehicle. Some participants brought folding chairs or campstools after arriving the previous day or early in the morning.

Some who came early on Monday slept in their cars, avoiding the predicted traffic jam that never developed.

All wore colored tags around their necks, identifying in which pen they were supposed to be.

There was an air of excitement as people examined souvenirs and fashioned newspaper hats to protect them from the hot September sun. The official souvenirs were sold by the church to help recoup the $2.5 million cost of putting on the biggest religious appearance in B.C. history.

Other vendors sold unofficial T-shirts and hats commemorating the event, and almost everybody bought something.

A 108-foot tall vinyl cross was dwarfed by the immensity of the papal Mass site and the huge stage where priests and bishops in colorful vestments were beginning to gather.

The murmur of the crowd intensified as the sound of helicopters filled the air, blowing newspaper hats into the crowds as they came closer.

Suddenly a car appeared containing an elevated platform and a bulletproof glass enclosure, the long-awaited popemobile. The pope smiled warmly and waved to the crowd, passing back and forth among the numerous pens over a 1 1/2-mile route. Almost everyone was afforded a view of the pontiff.

The roar of the crowd intensified, and people surged against the barricades for the chance of a better view, or perhaps to touch the car.

There was a cheer when the head of the Roman Catholic Church finally emerged on the platform, greeting clerics already assembled there.

The Mass was long, and in his homily, John Paul continued his cross-Canada theme condemning abortion and birth control.

When it was over, he again greeted some of the host clerics, and as quickly as he had arrived, the pope was whisked away to an evening gathering in Vancouver.

As soon as the pope departed, the crowd began to disappear.

For those who took the trouble to come, there was little disappointment. Some wished they had been closer, and some barely got a look at the pope as he passed. The experience of the Mass seemed to touch everyone.

“A Mass is a Mass,” an Oregon man said afterward. “But having the pope do one, well … I had tears down to here.”