St. Michael the Archangel Church in Cary honors Pope Francis following funeral

CARY, N.C. (WTVD) -- As the sun rose on St. Michael the Archangel Church in Cary, thousands of Catholics and Christians worldwide said their final farewell to Pope Francis.

"They've been praying for him every day here," said Dan Holtzclaw as he reflected on Pope Francis' impact and influence.

Parishioners continued their prayers for the Holy Father during Saturday morning Mass.

"How fortunate we were that he was a part of our lifetime. We had Pope Francis to be a role model for us," said Sandy Mortier.

She said he was a voice for the people.

"He was a person who saw dignity in everyone, outsiders... and everyone with whatever we would perceive them in our... as part of our society, didn't matter. They were human beings given to us by God," Mortier said. "He taught us not to be judgmental of other people, to welcome everybody, to give everyone a chance, to not make opinions of people because they are loved by God."

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Josh Bhatt, a parishioner at St. Michael, was also impacted by the Pope's humility and humanity. He is now charged with continuing his legacy.

"I think it's going into the places where we're afraid to go, talking to people who we often haven't had a dialogue with as a church. It's important for us to dialogue with all people of all faiths, all places. So, I think that's something that he really helped with, and I hope we can continue," Bhatt said.

Father Lourduraj Alapaty shared Pope Francis' legacy of building bridges during his morning message to parishioners who joined for mass.

"Reaching out to the common man. Reaching out to people carrying Christ's kindness and God's kindness and mercy to people is the greatest influence Pope Francis had on me," he said.

Outside the sanctuary of St. Michael was a memorial for Pope Francis. The Holy Father's picture was in a frame with a candle burning. Outside the church was black draped bunting at the entrance of the church, indicating the church was in mourning over the loss of Pope Francis.

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