Students and educators at a school in East Harlem are preparing for a visit next month from Pope Francis. NY1's Lindsey Christ filed the following report.

There are 70,000 students in Catholic schools run by the Archdiocese of New York, but when Pope Francis visits Our Lady Queen of Angels on September 25, he'll spend some quality time with a small group of third and fourth graders.

So how does it feel to be one of the chosen ones?

"I felt amazing," said Allison Reyes-Rodriguez, a student at Our Lady Queen of Angels. "Butterfly was in my stomach flying around because this is a great opportunity for kids."

One side of me was like, 'yesssss.' And the other side of me was like, 'What did I get myself into?'" said Noah Rodriguez, a student at St. Ann School.

"I felt excited," said Nicholas Marronaro, a student at Our Lady Queen of Angels. "I'm like, 'Wow, I'm going to meet the pope. It's amazing."

On Thursday, the superintendent of the Archdiocese introduced the eight students, who attend four Harlem Catholic schools. They were chosen by their principals, partly through lotteries.

"I thought it was a joke, but it wasn't when the principal told me a lot of details," said Benjamin Grassia, a student at St. Paul School.

When the pope arrives, he will be greeted by hundreds of Catholic schoolchildren outside the school.

"I'm going to greet him, tell him how pleased we are that he's here. I'm going to point to this building and say, 'Your Holiness, this building represents so many other buildings in New York City. They're doorways out of poverty for so many immigrants," said Timothy McNiff, superintendent of the Archdiocese of New York.

Inside, the eight selected students are to show Pope Francis projects they've been working on related to community service and environmental protection, two topics close to the pope's heart.

The kids, though, have their own ideas about what they'll discuss.

"I'm going to talk to him about how does it feel to be the first non-European pope in 1,200 years," Marronaro said.

"I'm going to say to the pope that I love him, and I'm going to give him a big old hug," Reyes-Rodriguez said.

The pope's visit comes on the heels of a difficult decade for Catholic schools across the country and in the city. Financial woes have forced the Archdiocese to shut dozens of schools and reoganize how the system is managed.

Officials say they are now on firm financial footing, and they are eager to show the pope the revamped school system.