(OSV News) -- Pilgrims of all ages from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are making what their archbishop called "an absolute pivot," as they find themselves in Rome for a papal funeral, rather than the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis.

"It's really interesting to see," Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia told OSV News. "I think Acutis brought us here, as if the world needed to be here to celebrate Pope Francis' life."

The archbishop said the group of close to 75 pilgrims he's leading are experiencing "a great sense of somberness enveloped in joy."

For months, the group had prepared for an April 23-29 journey centered on the planned April 27 canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, the 21st-century Italian teen whose short life was marked by a profound devotion to the Eucharist, a spirit of evangelization and a love for the Catholic Church.

With Pope Francis' death on April 21, Blessed Carlo's canonization was suspended by the Vatican; however, the April 27 Mass for the close of the April 25-27 Jubilee of Teenagers will still be celebrated.

But "no one even blinked" when plans changed, said Marisally Santiago, director of the archdiocese's Office for Ministry with Youth.

"Everyone is in mourning; and at the same time, everyone is happy and joyful to be here and to be able to have this very once-in-a-lifetime experience," she told OSV News April 25, as the group -- whom she described as "a little Catholic family that's traveling around" -- enjoyed a gelato break in Rome.

Holy Week and the Easter Triduum, with their rapid arc from tears to triumph, provides the model for balancing grief and joy amid the sudden changes of life, said Archbishop Pérez.

"As Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, (he showed) the only way through it is through it," Archbishop Pérez said. "And what I reflected a lot this past Holy Week was his strength, his boldness, and his courage."

Archbishop Pérez and Santiago noted that their group still intends to continue after the papal funeral to Assisi, Italy, where Blessed Carlo's remains lie encased in glass for public veneration at the Church of St. Mary Major. St. Francis of Assisi, whose name the late pope took upon his election to the papacy in 2013, lies in the town's basilica.

Santiago said the pilgrims are letting God be their tour guide.

"If this is God's will at this moment for us, then we're going to embrace it and enter fully into it," said Santiago.

- - - Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. Follow her on X @GinaJesseReina