means a lot to the hundreds of people working to transform a long- neglected piece of land into a site worthy of hosting a mass of this magnitude. abc-7 spoke with a stone mason, who shared his story of heartbreak and redemption: natural sound: "man hammering spike" construction crews work day and night to build a majestic pavilion at the old juarez fairgrounds just across the border from south el paso. natural sound: "cement work" the tens o thousands expected to gather here won't listen to rock and roll riffs or electronic beats ... they'll hear a message of faith, devotion and tolerance delivered by the leader of the world's 1-point-2 billion catholics. pope francis' message is meant to raise awareness about the plight of underprivileged workers and immigrants all over the world ... as well as the pain and burden afflicting victims of violence. three huge boulders sit un-disturbed at the construction site. the rocks will support the altar from which the pontiff will also deliver the sacrament of holy communion. salvador perches: "we are privileged and honored to be building the altar." salvado perches - with perches funeral home - is responsible for building the altar and pulpit for the papal mass. luxury will be replaced with dignity: salvador perches: "the pope being such a simple man, he wanted, we wanted to keep this is as simple as possible." natura sound: "worker polishin granite" some irony as juarez el paso and the borderland eagerly anticipate the pope's arrival. the perches employee tasked with transforming a raw, natural product into an altar fit for a pal mass once lived in the u.s. pedro campos lara: "well, i feel very lucky." ped campos lara was deported 12 years ago. he left behind two sons and two daughters in phoenix, where he learned the trade of masonry. skills he is now using in juarez, hoping to make his family proud. pedro campos lara: "they know already and they got really happy and they cannot really believe it." lara is not a catholic, but feels honored to be a part of this historic moment that will mean so much to millions in our region. he's hoping the pope's message on immigration resonates on this side of the border: pedro campos lara: "maybe the give me a little chance so they can give me my green card back " abc-seven's complete coverage of the pope's visit continues at kvia.com. click on the big banner with pope francis' picture for everything you need to know about the events on february 17th. you'll see our official countdown to when his plane is scheduled to land in juarez. plus, a
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