Local church holds mass in honor of Pope Francis I

GRANGER, Ind. -- Thousands of Catholics in Michiana attended a special church service for Pope Francis I at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Granger Monday night.

After getting swept away in all the excitement, many paused for a moment of spiritual reflection to honor the new leader of the Catholic church.

With song and prayer, devoted Catholics came together to celebrate an unforgettable day for the Catholic faith.

"It doesn't happen everyday, so it was just an historical time for me," said Jim Brandner a parishioner of St. Pius for 26 years.

No matter the age, those in attendance Monday night understood the importance of the day.

"The homily was great, Father Bill did a great job integrating things about the new pope because we really don't know that much about him," said Paige Obrien. "So, just having the background and the spiritualness of it was just great."

For the teen, it was the first time she ever seen anything like this. A student at St. Joseph Catholic High School, she and the rest of her classmates watched in anticipation as the newest Pope was revealed to the world.

"Every time the curtain would move or the door would move we would all go crazy. It was great," said Obrien.

It is something she and others at her church say they will never forget, which is why they wanted to share in the experience any way they could.

"I knew there would be mass whenever we had a new pope, so I just made a point of coming," said Brandner.