GR Mass celebrates pope's life

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - More than 150 parishioners attended a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Grand Rapids to honor the papacy of Benedict XVI, who resigned earlier in the day.

Benedict is the first pope in nearly 600 years to resign the papacy.

The Mass, presided by Bishop Walter Hurley of the Grand Rapids diocese, was an opportunity for the community to give thanks for the life and leadership of Benedict, and pray for his health and well-being.

Pope Benedict "left with an even more generous heart than he gave to the church," Bishop Hurley said during the service.

Although the bishop acknowledged that reviews of Benedict's time as pope were "mixed", he encouraged those gathered at the service to be thankful for his "generous heart."

When addressing the congregation about Benedict's successor, he said, "God's spirit brought Benedict to the ministry, God's spirit will choose the next Pope."

== Watch the video above: Father Ronald Hutchinson of Jenison is at the Vatican on sabbatical. He spoke with 24 Hour News 8 via phone Thursday and recounted the pope's last day and the mood in Rome. ==