CAMBRIDGE -- The night of Mass, adoration, and eucharistic procession at St. Paul Parish in Harvard Square on April 21 was meant to be a joyful kickoff to the Archdiocese of Boston's Eucharistic Congress, taking place through the Octave of Easter.

It still served that purpose, but it was also an opportunity for young adult Catholics to gather in prayer and mourning for Pope Francis, who died earlier that day at the age of 88.

"This night, we join in prayer for our Holy Father as we offer this Mass in particular as a requiem during this Easter Octave for the pope and his soul, and in gratitude for his papacy," Archdiocese of Boston Vocations Director Father Eric Cadin said before St. John's Seminary faculty member Father Joseph Briody celebrated Mass.

"In some ways it's sad, but it's very beautiful that the Holy Father passed in the Easter Octave," Archdiocese of Boston Assistant Vocations Director Father Michael Zimmerman told The Pilot. "We're sad at his passing, but we don't grieve like those who have no hope. We have hope in the resurrection."

Father Zimmerman said that young Catholics have treated the death of Pope Francis like the loss of a family member. Like the loss of a loved one, they have come together to pray and support one another. He added that the Eucharistic Congress has taken on a new meaning in the wake of the pope's death.

"It adds a seriousness, poignancy, to everything that we do, a gravity to it," he said. "I think, in one sense, the tone isn't something we need to set. It's something everyone knows out of love for our church, love for the Holy Father and our faith in our Lord and the resurrection. It affects us all and it affects everything that we do."

After Mass was holy hour with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, vespers, benediction, and veneration of a relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis. The Eucharistic Congress was meant to end with a celebration of Blessed Carlo's canonization at St. Francis Assisi Parish in Cambridge on April 27, Divine Mercy Sunday. Blessed Carlo's canonization has been postponed due to Pope Francis's death, but his life and works will still be celebrated at St. Francis on that date.

The holy hour was followed by a eucharistic procession through the streets of Cambridge and Boston. With a police escort, dozens of faithful carrying artificial candles sang hymns and prayed the rosary while Father Cadin carried the Blessed Sacrament in a golden monstrance. Their final destination was St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Allston, where prayers were offered in English and Portuguese. Throughout the week, the Eucharist will be taken in procession to churches in Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline.

Father Zimmerman said that when he heard the news of Pope Francis's death, his first response was to pray for his soul and for the church. He also thanked God for the pope's life and service.

"The Holy Father is a father for us all in faith," he said, adding: "We all need prayers when we come home to God. It's good for us to come together and pray for our Holy Father."